Misericordia
by Doctor Snake Eater
Summary: Once upon a time, a tragedy struck, and a young boy lost his four sisters to death, his father to the cycle of reincarnation, and his mother to madness. Now searching for answers, the boy, now a demon, seeks to discover the truth behind the horror that befell his family. The truth of why that night ended so, and why his mother speaks his father's name with such fury and hatred.
1. Antico Preludio

_Hello, and welcome to yet another new fanfic. I have a serious problem. This is an epidemic of new ideas. I need an embargo._

 _Either way, this one was inspired by…. Actually, I'm not sure what inspired this. Huh. What I DO know is that I won't update it for a while._

 _Anyhow, this fanfic in particular isn't going to be like my EoR story, this one will mesh Servants from FGO into the world of RWBY as if they were meant to be there. You know, fusing the canon together, changing the nature of the Servants to match that which fits in this world. Like that Naruto x RWBY fanfic, Veritas Aequitas, or Hunting Or Bust. The two worlds blend in together almost seamlessly._

 _The focus on this story will mainly be on one specific Servant, but others will get the spotlight too of course. RWBY stories are typically team stories anyway._

 _Now then, enough rambling, let's get on with this!_

* * *

 _Misericordia  
Chapter 1: ~Antico Preludio~_

* * *

 _Once upon a time, there were five siblings. Four sisters, and one brother._

 _Being the children of a powerful sorcerer and witch, the four sisters were born with the ability to use magic. But the brother was not._

 _The boy was weaker than his sisters, being given a rather frail body at birth. He fell ill almost every time the seasons changed, or whenever the temperature was one extreme or the other. As a result, he was coddled and kept sheltered by his family. Anything he did was always under supervision, to ensure he did not strain himself._

 _Despite his poor health, he found himself happy._

 _Happiness, does not last long in this world, unfortunately._

 _One night, his parents had an argument. He knew not what the argument was about. Only that one of his sisters overheard it, so she tried to break it up by suddenly entering the room and showing that she was capable of magic._

 _The mother was pleased, joyful even._

 _The father on the other hand, was forlorn. Sorrowful._

 _Then came the night that they lost everything._

 _The father tried to sneak them out. He did not tell them why. He only told them to be quiet, walk softly, and be unseen._

 _But the mother had expected this, and she became wrathful. Catching them in the act, she attacked._

 _A fight broke out. Magic was hurled between the two parents, as the children cowered and tried to hide._

 _The boy was confused, scared, and paralyzed. The sight of his parents viciously aiming spells at each other with the intent to harm, to kill even, was horrifying._

 _He never saw the explosion that took the lives of his sisters._

 _Nor did he see the castle's stone archway that collapsed upon him._

 _Darkness became all he knew then._

 _When he awoke, he smelled ashes. All he saw above him was the night sky, the stars obscured by the smoking fumes from his home's remains. He smelled torched flesh. Without even looking, he knew whose carcass was currently smoking._

 _His mother found him, her face draining of color and anger, now showing a semblance of the mother he knew. The mother who raised him and loved him._

 _As she pulled him out of the debris, he realized he was dying. Every part of his body was in agony, and his chest rattled every time he took a breath._

 _"I will fix you. Nobody will ever hurt us again." His mother had promised, cradling his frail form as monsters began to approach the castle, not a single one even daring to glance at his mother with anything but obedience._

 _And as she carried his dying body towards the lands shrouded by darkness, towards a pool of shadows and destruction, the boy knew that the world was going to be a different place._

* * *

A pair of scarlet eyes slowly opened up as a crowd applauded.

These eyes were set in a youthful, handsome teenage boy's face, if a bit gaunt. His jawline was firm, his eyes slightly sunken, with dark rings under them from a lack of sleep. His hair was a startling shade of gray, like the fresh ashes of a cigar, tied into a bit of a messy man-bun and ponytail hybrid.

The boy wore a black, pinstripe suit with silver stripes and red accents under the arms and back. He had a cravat under his suit's jacket, a golden pocket watch dangling from a long chain around his neck. Black leather gloves were firmly fastened onto his hands, which were currently hovering above the keys of a piano.

His ensemble was completed by black suit pants and slightly pointed dress shoes.

As his eyes opened, he slowly turned to see a sea of people, an audience in a massive auditorium, cheering at the top of their lungs.

It was to be expected. The music he played was nothing short of spectacular.

Ah, but he wasn't the star of the show tonight. While on other exhibitions, he would be front and center, conducting a magnificent orchestra, he was merely the sideshow to the main event.

He glanced towards the one who was the bigger focus here, a girl whose angelic voice was accompanied by his piano and the violins of his orchestra. Weiss Schnee. Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company.

Despite the glowing applause, she looked rather distracted. Almost surprised. It seems she may have been zoning off somehow as she sang. Understandable. It happens to him all the time.

Slowly, the cheering wound down as the curtain began to fall. His fingers flexed as he straightened up, adjusting his gloves.

"Your skills really are something else when heard up close like that."

Slowly, the grey haired youth turned to regard the Schnee heiress, who now stood less than a few feet before him. He nodded slowly as he began to stand up.

"One could say the same for your own vocals, Miss Schnee."

"Please, Mister Salieri, we are partners in tonight's gala. Call me Weiss. We are the same age after all." The snow haired girl smiled faintly, her hands folded in front of her demurely.

The picture perfect appearance of what an heiress should be.

Too perfect. Almost like a mask.

"Then, I would extend the same courtesy to you, Signora Weiss. Call me Antonio." He smirked a little wryly as the musicians began to pack away their instruments, and the stage crew started to haul off his piano.

Well, not his piano. This one was donated by the Schnee Dust Company for his exclusive use in tonight's sponsored gala. His own piano was something he always carried with him…. Not that anyone would see it.

The two youths walked together as the sounds of the audience making their way into the main room for the ball filled the auditorium, the sounds of hundreds of heeled shoes and dress shoes clacking their way out.

The main ball room was quite packed with people. Not a single person in this massive room was anything below the highest working class. Businessmen and women, the richest of the rich. Every person in this room was a member of high society and had the attitude to match it.

Trophy wives and husbands made up the majority of the people here. A few high ranking military officials made up the minority, as well as a few young heirs and heiresses to wealthy companies and families, trying to make connections or score themselves their own trophy spouses through their political or economic clout.

Not a single person here held any sort of conviction or drive. That was what Salieri thought. This massive room, was filled with naught but sheep. Still, there were a few exceptions, namely the heiress standing beside him. "Excited that you will finally be attending Beacon Academy? I imagine that the temperate Vale air would be a welcome change compared to the constant cold of Atlas."

"Yes, it will be a welcome change. Even if the strides I had to take in order to be allowed this chance were rather aggravating." Weiss huffed, blinking slowly. An action which drew Salieri's eyes to the scar on her left eye.

They had met before, briefly, during other events like this one, and engaged in pleasantries, but she never had this scar before.

"I have been meaning to ask. What happened to your eye?" His question earned a grimace from the Schnee heiress as she lightly brushed a finger along her scar.

"It was.. a training accident. I had to prove myself in combat to earn the permission of my father to attend Beacon. It was nothing serious. It is actually only a cosmetic injury if anything, my eye was not damaged at all, thus letting me keep my sight in optimal condition. Quite a stroke of luck."

"I see. If I may be so bold, Signora, the scar suits you. It gives you an air of… _belleza enigmatica_ , one could say." The musician hummed before he sipped from the wine glass in his hand.

While he technically was not of age, people made exceptions during events like this. And a good thing too, Atlesian wine was unrivaled.

Weiss' face turned an interesting shade of red, a color that stood out on her pale appearance, before she huffed. "F-flattery will not get you anywhere, Antonio, even if you spout fanciful words in old Mistralian. You will have to try a little harder than that to get my favor."

" _Mie scuse_ , I speak naught but the truth. I suppose I will have plenty of time to speak more truths at Beacon, if our schedules match up." He shrugs, chuckling for a moment. The icy eyed heiress turned to look at him with raised brows.

"You will be attending Beacon as well? What about your career? You are one of Atlas' most prodigal musical genius! You would give that up just to become a Huntsman? I was not even aware you even knew how to fight!"

"I make time to train, now and then." He smirks wryly at her. "My career was a wonderful passion that lasted a good amount of time, but I have goals that I can only achieve by becoming a Huntsman. And who knows, perhaps studying at Beacon and learning the ways of the Huntsman will give me inspiration for new arrangements and pieces. And besides… I am sure my accomplice can manage the stage without me."

The two teens continued to chat, mingling near each other whilst the party went on, and words of gossip continued to bounce from mouth to mouth.

"Look at that, Salieri is chatting up the Schnee heiress!"

"No surprise, they are the same age and worked together on that song before. Think they might be an item?"

"Who knows? That's too much of a cliché, isn't it? A young, orphaned musical prodigy and a rich heiress?"

Yes, gossip was one thing that truly united the high society of Atlas, besides money and influence.

* * *

"I suppose the next time we meet will be at Beacon, Antonio." Weiss hummed as she stood outside the gala building, wearing a thick jacket around her body to fend off the cold as she stood in front of her family's limousine. Her father was resting his eyes inside on the front seat, whilst her brother was impatiently waiting in the backseat.

"Indeed. _Buona notte, Signora Weiss._ " Antonio Salieri smiled charmingly, before he gently takes Weiss' hand and places a brief kiss on one of her knuckles. The Schnee heiress gains a tinge of red in her cheeks before she nods, smiling as she enters the limo, the driver shutting the door for her before he narrows his eyes at the grey haired teenager.

Salieri smirks at him as an expression that had not once formed this night while in the presence of others begins to come forth. A savage looking smirk, his eyes narrowed and his scarlet orbs glimmering with barely hidden malice.

The sight startled the driver, his face draining of color before he quickly gets into the driver's seat and begins to drive off.

"Hmm… Beacon Academy…" The musician murmurs as he folds his hands behind his back, looking up at the starry sky, the bright satellite known as Remnant's shattered moon hovering eerily in the sky. "It has been a long time coming…"

"Antonio~!" A flamboyant voice called out, making Salieri grimace for a moment before he sighs and turns around, coming face to face with a garishly dressed blonde youth with his hair tied in a style very similar to Salieri's, but due to having much longer hair, the ponytail fell down his back in waves and curls of pale blonde hair. He was clad in a black suit with an open jacket, revealing a black and gold vest underneath and an elegant cravat. He had white cotton gloves on his hands, and resting upon his shoulders was a ridiculous black and purple fur cloak with a stuffed Beowolf head seated on his right shoulder, its mouth wide open.

At least he wasn't wearing that stupid hat of his, that was the only solace Salieri could salvage from this. "What is it, Amadeus?"

"I've gathered the others in the changing room, they await your farewell speech with open ears and aching hearts~!"

"Very well… let us get this over with." Salieri sighs before he follows the other teen back into the building.

It was time to bid farewell to his companions.

* * *

"I must say Antonio, your sudden enrollment to Beacon came as quite a surprise, even to me!" The blonde youth hummed, reclining in a chair. The two of them were currently seated across from each other in the changing room of the building, wine glasses in their hands.

This was the one person that Salieri trusted more than anyone during his time in Atlas. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This was the accomplice and partner of Salieri, a youth whose talent and love for music rivaled, perhaps even ascended beyond Salieri's own.

For while Salieri enjoyed playing his musical instruments, Mozart absolutely reveled in it. It was like the difference between a dolphin and a fish. Both swam, but one was much more attuned to the sea than the other.

Perhaps that was a poor analogy, but regardless, Salieri nodded, knowing that despite his intent to leave, the orchestra was in good hands. "I have things I need to do, Amadeus. Things that I cannot achieve from playing music in Atlas. Vale is where I must go. Beacon is where I must be. I apologize for springing this upon you."

"Oh _nein, nein,_ I don't mind at all. It gives me a time to shine, no? While the audience loves your dark and mysterious presence, I think it is high time they bask in my light!" Mozart laughs, lightly swirling his glass of wine, a redness in his cheeks indicating he was not quite that sober. "I just pray you do not forget about us while you are out there, slaying monsters and saving humanity!"

"Trust me, _mio amico_ , I will be quite hard-pressed to forget the likes of you." The red eyed teen chuckles, taking a sip from his glass.

"Hey now, what is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing at all Amadeus. Nothing at all."

The two musicians laughed together for a brief moment, before they fall into a comfortable silence. Mozart slowly closes his eyes, smiling as he sips from his glass.

"I will miss you, Antonio. You have been an amazing friend, _ein einfach wunderbarer Freund._ We will play a song in your honor at our next show, and should the Grimm manage to actually claim your life, we will create a fantastic orchestra that will echo throughout the land in memory of your soul."

"Idiot, I haven't even left yet and you are making a eulogy…"

* * *

It would be almost half an hour later that Mozart left to head home, before Salieri followed suit to return to his own home. Being a wealthy heir himself to the Mozart family that almost entirely consisted of musicians, he had a family to return home to.

Antonio Salieri did not. He had no family to return home to.

None that would be feasible, at the very least.

As he entered his apartment, Salieri sighed softly, walking towards the balcony of his room. Gazing out at the cold, aristocratic Atlesian nightlife, he pondered.

This would be his last night in Atlas. He had to get to Vale early in order to truly confirm his suspicions.

"I will finally get my answers…" He mutters, gazing up at the shattered moon. "...answers you seem to refuse to give me, mother."

 ** _"I am trying to protect you, Antonio."_**

Without even turning around, he knew what was behind him. It was always the same creature. A hovering, balloon shaped creature of Grimm, sprouting multiple red tendrils from its gaping, spherical shaped maw that were tipped with sharp, bladed spikes. The creature, a Seer, had its head partially covered by bone plates, as most Grimm do, and had an image within its chaotic red mist. An image of a woman with alabaster skin and hair, with red veins surrounding her red eyes contained within black sclera.

"You have been trying to protect me for far too long. Why else do you think I left all those years ago?"

 ** _"You are being foolish, Antonio. While I came to accept your little rebellion and decision to insert yourself within Atlas' high society by becoming a musician, I cannot accept your decision to go to Beacon."_**

"I appreciate your opinion on the matter, and will promptly discard it, mother." Salieri sighs, slowly turning around to face the Seer, and the image of his mother. "I have to find out the truth."

 ** _"You already KNOW the truth!"_**

"I only know half of the story! A story which you refused to elaborate on!" The youth loses his composure for a moment, the whites of his eyes darkening suddenly to pitch black, before the darkness recedes as he grits his teeth. "You have kept me in that pool for hundreds of years, and even when you let me out to finally grow, you don't tell me anything!"

 ** _"This is all beyond you, Antonio! This war is between myself and Him! You need not know anything, nor even DO anything besides staying safe and healthy! You are a child!"_**

"I have not been a child since my sisters died!"

Silence filled the room as Salieri slowly takes a step towards the Seer, shadows beginning to waft from his body, coalescing on his clothes, beginning to form black and red armor that twisted and writhed.

"I have not been a child since you dropped me in that pool of darkness to heal me, only to turn me into a monster!"

 ** _"Antonio-"_**

"I have not been a child since I awoke to find that it has been hundreds, if not thousands of years since that night! I have not been a child since my mother decided t **o wage a war against all of humanity!"**

Standing before the Seer was no longer Salieri, but a large, winged creature clad in blacks, reds and magentas, glowing pink eyes set between segmented silver armor covering parts of the creatures face, like a mask of the Grimm, an open maw filled with silver, sharp teeth.

 **"I have not been a child for a long time, mother. I am no longer the easily debilitated little boy you coddled and raised. I am grateful for all you have done… but I must find Him. I must hear Him out. And not even you will stop me from doing so. This has gone on for too long and I refuse to be denied my answers."** Saleri growls, hovering above the Seer as he stares down his mother.

And as the demon stares down the witch, the witch blinked first, finally sighing as she closes her eyes and speaks once more, her voice shaking a little.

 ** _"You are making a mistake, Antonio… I cannot lose you as well… not to Him."_**

 **"I am sorry, mother. But this is happening regardless. I will get my answers from Him."**

 ** _"And if His answers are not to your liking?"_** The image of his mother asks, opening her eyes once more.

Salieri was silent for a moment, before his eyes glowed brighter.

 **"Then he dies."**

A tense silence fills the room once more as mother and son stare each other down through the image of the Seer.

 ** _"Fine. Do as you wish. But know that if you get in the way of my plans… I will not stop my underlings from doing what they must. Choose your side wisely when you hear His half of the story."_**

 **"Let them come. Huntsmen or Grimm, noth** ing will stand in my way." Salieri declares as his form finally begins to shrink, his armor cracking away and fading into ashes as his humanity is regained.

 ** _"Very well. Farewell then, my son… my Antonio."_**

"Farewell, mother." Salieri murmurs, before lifting his arm up, conjuring up a blade of pure silver in his grasp, wildfire beginning to spiral around the narrow blade.

It would be best to make sure the Seer was destroyed anyway. Lest it be seen somehow by soldiers as it attempts to leave.

The image of his mother closes her eyes, seeing her son prepare to destroy the link.

"I love you, mother."

 ** _"I love you too."_**

And as Antonio Salieri swung his blade down, cleaving the Seer clean in half, the remains catching fire and disintegrating, he knew that despite everything, that was the one thing his mother was honest about.

* * *

 _Once upon a time, a boy lost everything. His sisters, his father, and even his mother to some sort of madness. Yet as he was submerged into a pool of darkness, his body breaking apart, he felt an unbridled anger. A fury that refused to be taken away. A fury that fueled him, as the pool reformed his body into something else, a form that was covered in red and black, a form that struck fear into the hearts of both Grimm and men alike._

 _He entered the pool as a boy, and as hundreds of years passed, he left the pool as a monster._

 _The world was different, and his mother was different. She was scheming something, something she refused to tell him about._

 _And as he grew older, his body aging so much slower, he saw that something was wrong with her._

 _His mother was broken. Her heart, her soul, her mind was broken, and he had no idea why._

 _She told him lies and half-truths, telling the bare minimum._

 _"It is nothing, sweetheart."_

 _"It is just a headache."_

 _"Mommy is just feeling a little angry."_

 _"Nothing to worry about, just getting rid of vermin."_

 _And yet as she began to collect followers, the boy began to feel weary._

 _She refused to tell him anything about his father._

 _She refused to give a straight answer about why they fought._

 _All her answers were the same._

 _"He was a coward."_

 _So one day, the boy left. Strong-arming one of her followers, he made a false identity for himself._

 _Though his surname was taken from an old book, he kept his birth name._

 _And so, Antonio Salieri entered the realm of humanity for the first time._

 _And there, he discovered something beautiful._

 _Music._

 _And so he played, and he played, and made friends with another likeminded youth who enjoyed music like he did. The youth was named Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. But he simply called him Amadeus._

 _Eventually, Mozart's family decided to fund their musical talents, and they began to play live. And then, they went from mere musicians, to conductors as well, guiding magnificent orchestral wonders._

 _For a while, Antonio Salieri was happy._

 _But the shadow of his mother lingered on the world._

 _And one name she always spoke of to her henchmen would continue to ring in his mind._

 _Ozpin._

 _With that name in his head, a plan on his mind, and a drive in his soul, Antonio Salieri decided thusly._

 _It is time to get answers._

 _For himself…_

 _…and his fallen sisters._


	2. Fortissimo (Hear my Soul, and Answer)

_Back with a second chapter for this. I just watched Spider-man: Into the Spidey-verse yesterday. It was a fucking amazing movie. Loved every second of it!_

 _Anyway, if anyone notices spotty Italian, I'm using online resources for any phrases Antonio might use. Do have mercy! That being said, enjoy!_

* * *

 _Chapter Two: Fortissimo (Hear my Soul, and Answer)_

* * *

 _"-n other news, police officers still have no idea what could have prompted the sudden halt in the flow of the homicides that have occurred within the back alleys of Vale. CCTV cameras are still unable to find any sort of culprit, but the common theory circulating among many citizens is that these killings match the same methods used during the Manslayer Murders of Mistral three years ago-"_

Salieri hums lightly as he watches the news on a public television located in the café he was currently resting at.

It was a good two hours or so before the airship to Beacon academy would arrive, so he had plenty of time to spare until he had to leave. Hence why he was currently seated at a table in one of Vale's many, MANY coffee shops.

Despite its penchant for being the most 'peaceful' of the Kingdoms, it seems the capital of Vale has its fair share of shadows.

"Still… the Manslayer Murders, hmm? It is amazing how one psychopath can manage to still garner the attention of so many people even after he disappears." The musician murmurs to himself as he takes a slow sip of his black coffee, without an ounce of sugar in it.

The bitterness was the only thing that made the coffee work, in his opinion. It made him feel alive.

 _"For our viewers who aren't as savvy in Remnant's rather violent history, the Manslayer Murders were a string of homicides that occurred three years ago in the Kingdom of Mistral. The murders took place all over the continent of Anima, with various victims ranging from civilians to trained Hunstmen. Nobody was ever able to truly capture a glimpse of the Manslayer himself, however multiple accounts of Huntsmen who would arrive on the crime scene after the murders ocurred have been recorded to say that they would always spy a figure wearing an old Mistralian straw hat and a dark blue cloak. Several witnesses even claim that the Manslayer has bright red hair, others say his eyes glow in the dark."_ The woman on the news continued to exposit as several artist depictions of the Manslayer popped up on the screen behind her, some of which made the figure look twisted and horrifyingly gaunt, like a Grimm.

Salieri only partially listened to it. He had read about the murders himself a while back. He actually found the entire investigation to be quite interesting.

The causes of death for the murders were all exactly the same. Almost complete bisections.

From many reports he had read (some of which he had caught glimpses of through less than legal means), the cause of death for almost all of the victims was a blade, likely to be in the shape of a katana, impaling the victims from behind before it would be dragged upwards, almost completely cleaving the victim in half from the spine up.

Such a brutal method of killing obviously left rather visceral crime scenes.

Notably, all of the victims who were Huntsmen and Huntresses happened to be either retired or fresh out of the academy, some of them being less than reputable. Despite the cause of death for them being the same as the civilian victims, very few of them were killed instantly, seeing as almost all of the Huntsmen victims had numerous wounds that were obtained moments before death.

Each combat trained victim sported numerous deep lacerations, all aimed to cripple them, ranging from cleaved tendons to impaled joints. Despite the accuracy, these wounds were not done cleanly, leading to a lot of gore.

A few people made theories that the murderer even dual wielded weapons, seeing as some of the lacerations seemed to have been done by a shorter blade than the one that the police theorized the Manslayer used.

But, then again, people make all sorts of theories online. Some even say that the Manslayer was some sort of unusual humanoid Grimm.

If that were the case, Salieri would at least have a better idea on the murderer's identity, because he would have just asked his mother about it.

Which, admittedly, he did, not long after the murders started, during one of his mother's many attempts to bring him home again by sending yet another Seer to scold him. However, she denied any sort of Grimm capable of committing those murders in such a capacity, so alas, the Manslayer was indeed very human (or Faunus).

And with those thoughts in mind, Salieri stood up, having finished his coffee, before he lifted up his suitcase and began to leave the café.

Like many others, Salieri had quite an interest in the Manslayer Murders. However, while most others were interested simply because it proposed an unusual mystery…

…he loved it simply because of the carnage the psychopath could release.

If there was one thing Salieri inherited from his mother…

…it was her joy at watching bloodshed.

* * *

Hours later, a large airship carrying the next generation of future Huntsmen and Huntresses takes off, vacating the city of Vale and flying towards the academy itself.

And onboard that ship, four souls would align.

* * *

Jaune Arc wasn't having a great day.

Okay, so, perhaps it was a bit of an exaggeration. After all, his transcripts…

…well, they came through, so that's good, right? Despite the nerve-wracking experience it was when he had them faked, they pulled through and he got accepted into Beacon!

….which he had to get to by riding a giant airship.

Yeah, not a great start to the school year, especially since he lost his lunch all over the floor, and some of it got onto some girl's shoe. Boot. Whatever. Point is, he hasn't even reached orientation and he already looks like an idiot.

So, here he was, barfing his guts out into a trash can, praising the Brothers above in relief for solid ground. Maybe he needs to see a physician, this wasn't healthy.

"Yo, bro, you alright there? One stomach can't have THAT much in it, right? You could probably use this."

Finally managing to get a hold of his nausea after landing, Jaune wipes his mouth and turns to find that there was a bottle of water in his face. Taking it with a muttered 'Thank you', he immediately takes a mouthful of water and rinses out his mouth before spitting into the bin, and then beginning to chug the bottle of water down.

"Whoa, jeez, slow down, you might relapse or something dude."

Finishing half the bottle, Jaune sighs with relief as he wipes his mouth, before he looks up to the person in front of him.

And up.

And he finds himself face to face with one of the TALLEST teenagers he's ever met. Was this guy even his age!?

The guy in front of him had blonde hair cut into a bobcut, and sported a pair of thick purple sunglasses, the tint so strong that Jaune couldn't even see the dude's eyes on the other side.

One thing Jaune noticed almost immediately was that the guy had a big, toothy grin.

And his teeth were really, really sharp looking. Especially the canines. Way too sharp for a human.

'Huh, a Faunus…' Jaune noted mentally as he continued to take in the taller teen's appearance. He had broad shoulders and wore a white dress shirt with incredibly exaggerated collars that lifted upwards and sleeves that were rolled back, revealing thick, muscular arms. The first few buttons of his shirt were undone, showing off a significant amount of well defined (and envy inducing) pectoral muscles.

To put it bluntly, this man was JACKED.

"Holy crap you could grind meat on tha-WAH!" Jaune yelps as he takes a step back, realizing he had been staring at another guy's chest for way too long. Thankfully, the other blonde simply bursts out laughing and waves his hand, seemingly unoffended in the slightest.

"If I had a Lien for every time that happened! You okay dude? Didn't throw up a lung or anything?"

"N-no, I think I'm good. Thanks for the water." Jaune smiles a little, feeling more than a wee bit embarrassed. "Erm, did you want this back or-"

"Dude, keep it. I don't think anyone could touch that now." The more muscular of the two blondes laughs and flashes a thumbs up. "Name's Kintoki by the way! Sakata Kintoki. My buddies call me Kintoki, or Kintaro, take your pick, either ones Golden!"

"Erm, I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc."

Now that he had the guy's name, Jaune took a moment to study him just a little more.

Eyes once again landing on Kintoki's pecs (they were just… THERE. It was hard to NOT look at them!), he noticed that the guy had a lot of… well, _bling_ on, in the form of gold chains dangling from his neck. Three of them, one was short, a few inches away from being snug around his neck to the point of it being more of a choker, the second was longer, and had a stylized necklace at the end in the shape of an arrowhead with a capital 'G' emblazoned in the center, and the third was longer than even that and dipped down until it was hanging just below Kintoki's pectoral muscles, with a necklace attached in the shape of…

…Jaune wasn't sure what it was, it looked almost religious, but also kinda looked like the front of a motorcycle.

There was gold in various other parts of his attire too. Thick golden rings on each finger besides the thumbs, a golden wristwatch, golden wrist bands, and of course, a massive belt with a big plaque on front shaped like a cartoonish explosion with the word ' **GOLD** ' on it.

This guy REALLY liked gold it seemed.

Apart from that, his attire was fairly standard and casual even, with long black slacks and white stylish dress shoes with pointed toes.

"S-so, Kintoki, why'd you stick around to help?" Jaune asked, after taking in his new friend's rather eccentric appearance. "I mean, everyone else just… moved on."

"Cuz you're golden, dude, like me! I can't leave ya behind like that! I'm a lot of things, but a dick ain't one of them." Kintoki laughs before lightly slapping Jaune's shoulder.

'Lightly' still stung the noodle of a blonde, who flinched and yelped before rubbing his shoulder. This absolute unit of a guy just helped him just because he was…. 'Golden'? What was that supposed to mean? Blonde? Kintoki helped him just because he was a fellow blonde? That was one of the weirdest excuses to help someone out he'd ever heard.

"Huh, would've thought your Aura would catch that." Kintoki frowned, raising a brow as he rubs his chin. "Either that or its weak as hell."

"My what?" Jaune blinked as he stopped rubbing his shoulder, staring up at Kintoki.

"Your Aura."

"Bless you."

"Dude, you do know what an Aura is, right?"

"What? Pfft, of course I do! I mean… do YOU know what an Aura is?" Jaune exclaimed, inwardly panicking. What the hell was an Aura again?

Kintoki simply stared at Jaune with a slightly slack jaw, before he shakes his head and pinches his brow.

"Alright dude, dunno how you got here without knowing an Aura is, but here's the gist of it."

* * *

Blake Belladonna wasn't quite sure what she just witnessed.

Well, not witnessed. Witnessing something usually requires visual observation. She had her eyes locked onto her book's pages as it all happened. But she did listen in on it. She heard a clutter, then some yelling, some apologizing, more yelling, and then an explosion.

Feeling something bump against her boot, she leans down and picks it up, holding up a vial of Dust.

Personalized Schnee vials. Very fancy. Kind of disgusting to look at.

Slowly, she tucks away her book with a sigh and begins to approach ground zero of the argument.

"Sheesh, pretty fuckin' loud, aren't they?"

Blake's instincts screamed danger all of a sudden, yet she couldn't help but freeze.

Slowly, she turns her head to find a heavily clothed boy her age, slightly hunched over. He was wearing a heavy looking black coat that seemed almost a few sizes too large. It had two layers to it, with a mantle over the sleeves that went all the way down to the wrists. Underneath the coat was a kimono, dark lavender in color, with a dark greenish grey hakama. He wore zori sandals and black tabi socks.

Wrapped around his neck was a thick, dark orange scarf that was wound around his neck several times, partially covering the bottom half of his face.

His hair was black, unruly, almost like seaweed, and he had it in a thick ponytail.

He was also armed, but then again, so were several other students who refrained from placing their weapons with their luggage.

Sheathed at the left side of his hip, underneath the heavy coat, Blake could spy the handles of two katanas, however without moving the coat out of the way, she had no idea what the lengths were.

What put her off the most however, were his eyes. They were an almost sickly shade of amber.

The boy studied her for a moment, his eyes roaming her form, as if sizing her up, before she could see a smile form on what little of his mouth she could see. "Heh… that's good… you know danger when you see it, huh? It'd be boring if you were blind to it like all the other idiots around here."

Blake's eyes narrowed at those words, fingers twitching for the hilt of Gambol Shroud. "I don't appreciate being sneaked up on. You're lucky I didn't accidentally attack you."

"Oh I don't doubt it. I bet you'll be fun to fight." The boy smirked widely, an almost deranged look in his eyes before he tugs his scarf up to hide his smile and starts to visibly strain to school his features. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other in orientation…"

Slowly, the boy begins to walk past Blake, his coat fluttering a little. As he passes by her, Blake's feline ears underneath her bow pick up a faint whisper.

 _"And then I can't wait to see how you bleed."_

Her eyes widening, she turns to watch after the retreating boy, who was now quietly chortling to himself, her heart pounding and her instincts screaming at her to kill.

Fantastic. She came here to get away from one psychopath, only to run into another.

* * *

Weiss Schnee was very, very annoyed right now.

It may have had something to do with the fact that an absolute dolt of a girl had almost blown her off the side of the cliff. How on earth could someone sneezing trigger a vial of Fire Dust? She was lucky to even be alive, any stronger and the explosion might have triggered the rest of the Dust vials in her luggage!

"Honestly, what are you even DOING here!? Do you even have any idea who I am!?" Weiss growls out, hands on her hips as she glares down at her 'aggressor', which came in the form of a younger girl, wearing a black frilly dress with red accents and a red hooded cape.

"E-e-erm, w-well, I-I…" The silver eyed girl stammered, looking completely at a loss for words. "I-I'm really sorry!"

"Sorry isn't going to-"

"Dear me, Signorina Schnee? First day and you already have found a target for your ire?"

At the sound of that smooth, deep voice, Weiss' immediately turned around to find the very person she was hoping to run into.

Antonio Salieri.

The young man had an amused look on his face, with a quirked brow and a light smirk. In his right hand was a black briefcase.

"A-Antonio! How long have you-"

"Enough to know that all this is a simple misunderstanding, Signorina." The young musician chuckles as he walks closer, turning his head to look at the dolt on the floor. " _Scuse_ , Weiss has a bit of a temper. I hope we can put this all behind us."

"A-Antonio, she-"

"Sneezed, yes, but everything that occurred was a mere accident. Let us put it behind us, and simply move on. We have orientation after all."

Weiss clicks her tongue, huffing as she stares at the taller teen.

At the very least, she felt calmer now.

"Fine." The heiress relents before pointing dramatically at the hooded girl on the ground, who squeaked the moment she saw Weiss' pointing at her. "Listen here, dolt. I expect you to show more competence than this when we next meet, otherwise I may have to continue my tirade. This is a prodigal school for Huntsmen and Huntresses!"

"Y-yes ma'am!" The girl yelps, nodding quickly. "E-erm… my name's Ruby by the way!"

"I don't care." Weiss scoffs, tilting her nose up before gesturing for her father's workers to continue bringing her luggage along as she starts to strut away.

"B-but…" Ruby murmurs, looking down, before she feels a gloved hand patting her head.

"Fret not. She will warm up to you eventually I am sure. Beneath that cold exterior lays a warm heart." Salieri chuckles, before he too walks off, following after Weiss. "See you at orientation."

"E-erm, b-bye!" Ruby waves a little, watching the two pale haired teens stride off and talk to each other, before she slumps down and lays on the ground. "Ugh… welcome to Beacon… I suck at this…."

A shadow falls upon her as she glances up, seeing a pair of blonde boys.

"Hey." The noodley looking one says as he smiles, holding out a hand. "I'm Jaune."

"Yo." The muscular one gives a brief wave, grinning widely. "I'm Kintoki."

"H-hi?" Ruby blinks, before taking the shorter blonde's hand and hoisting herself up onto her feet. "I'm Ruby…. Wait, aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"

"Ugh, I'll never live this down, will I?" Jaune groans, looking away with embarrassment as he palms his face.

"Probably not dude!" Kintoki laughs, slapping him on the back, the slap actually connecting with the lankier blonde's Aura now.

* * *

Several Minutes Ago

* * *

"So it's like a force field!"

"Yeah dude, it totally is!"

Kintoki had just taken the time to explain to Jaune exactly what Aura was. In layman's terms to help him understand it better.

To cut a long story short, people have Aura, and it can be unlocked. It heals you from injuries, protects you from damage, and also fuels your Semblance, if any.

Grimm don't have Aura, because they don't have souls.

And of course, Aura sometimes won't activate if someone is taken by surprise.

"Jeez, this stuff sounds really useful." Jaune hums, walking alongside his new friend.

"It totally is, makes me wonder how the hell you don't know what it is… unless…"

Jaune immediately pales as Kintoki trails off and levels an indecipherable look at him, his eyebrows hidden behind his sunnies.

"Jaune, dude… are you…"

 _'Crap crap crap crap crap crap!'_ Jaune panicked, eyes widening. He was going to get caught before the school term even started!

"….some kind of badass?"

"Wait what?" The lanky blonde blinks as he watches Kintoki's expression turn into something akin to awe.

"Dude, if you got into Beacon without even knowing what Aura was, or having it activated, then you must be some kinda prodigal badass! That's Golden!" Kintoki grins, lightly punching Jaune on the shoulder. "Man, bet everyone underestimates you cuz you look like a walking udon noodle with arms and legs."

"H-hehe, yeah, that's right… you caught me…" Jaune laughs nervously, sweating profusely.

He didn't get caught, which was great.

But he was also now on a pedestal, which was bad.

"Seriously though, you sure you can keep that up? I mean, being a badass is cool and all, but if you don't have Aura, you could really get hurt." The expression of awe vanishes from the taller male's face, now replaced with a look of concern.

"H-hehe, I mean, I 'could' go through Beacon without it… but, erm, maybe I should activate it. How do I do that again?"

"You gotta get someone else who already has their Aura unlocked to do it for you, since unlocking your Aura is basically having someone inject some of their own into you. Kinda makes a bond, you know? Normally parents or teachers do it for their kids and stuff." Kintoki shrugs.

"So, can you do it for me?" Jaune asks, inwardly hoping that he can have Kintoki do it. That way, nobody else would be any wiser.

Kintoki pauses, tilting his head before he lays a heavy hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"Alright dude. But I gotta warn ya. If I do this…"

Jaune gulped, worried about where this was going.

Thankfully, Kintoki simply grins and laughs. "…then we'll be bros! Golden Bros! Know what I mean?"

"Erm.. you mean like… best friends or something?"

"Nah man, Golden Bros. It's like best friends but… better. It's like we're family dude."

"You mean LITERALLY bros?" Jaune exclaims, eyebrows raised before he sighs. "You know what, fine, why not. I've already got seven sisters, having an extra brother sounds fine."

"Dude, seven? Yikes."

"Yeah, it was kind of hell sometimes… so how do we do this?"

"Just stand there and close your eyes. I gotta do some kinda chant or something to make it work." Kintoki shrugs, putting another hand on Jaune's other shoulder. "Really hope I remember how this goes."

"Please tell me messing it up won't kill me."

"Literally nothing will happen if I mess it up. Maybe." Shrugging again, Kintoki tightens his grip on Jaune's shoulders. "Now shut up and close your eyes. I got this."

Nodding, Jaune's eyes reluctantly shut. This was totally not weird.

"Let's see… erm… how did she do it for me again..?" The taller blonde murmurs, grumbling a little before he takes a deep breath.

His eyes snap open under his sunglasses, and a golden glow begins to emanate from his body.

 _ **"**_ _ **For it is in passing that we achieve immortality... Through this, we become… paragons of justice and glory to stand above all…. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."**_

The golden glow sifts its way from his hands into Jaune's body, which begins to radiate with its own white glow.

After a few seconds, Kintoki lets go and huffs a little, putting his hands on his hips as he cranes his head back. "Whoo, man that drained me! Jeez, they weren't kidding, unlocking someone's Aura really does take a lot outta ya."

"Whoa…" Jaune, who opened his eyes the moment Kintoki let go, murmurs as he looks at his lightly glowing body. "This is so cool… you okay there?"

"Yeah, yeah, just a little winded. Jeez, you have a lot of Aura for a stringbean."

"Thanks?"

* * *

Yang wasn't exactly sure WHY she ditched Ruby. While she was normally all for having her little sister open up to new people, ditching her like that was kind of a dick move.

Especially since her excuse for doing so was just hanging out with her 'friends'.

It was a term she used loosely. These girls were all classmates of hers back at Signal, but they weren't really… buddies. They were more like a small group of people you just happened to hang out with because they sat next to you in class.

Still, Yang liked making friends, being a social butterfly back at her old school. Unfortunately, the kinds of people who hung out with her at Signal were all… fake, in a way, these current 'friends' of hers included. They always wanted something. Either they just wanted to hang out with the 'cool, hot tomboy' for exposure and to look good, or they wanted to date and get lucky because she looked damn good.

Either way, because she believed in never ditching friends, even if she had to use the term rather loosely here, she stuck with them. At least, until the new term starts and she can hang out with different people. New people.

"Like, seriously, look at some of these girls. The hell are they even wearing? Some of these outfits are so last year."

….that didn't change the fact that this was going to be an exercise in patience. Which thankfully, Yang DID need. She had a temper, she knew that.

Yang blinked as someone bumped into her shoulder.

"Ah… sorry."

"Hey, no big deal-whoa." Yang's eyes widen a little as she turns to look at the person who just bumped into her.

Glowing eyes. That's what she noticed first, a pair of red, faintly glowing eyes with brilliant white pupils.

"You are staring."

Blinking, Yang takes a step back, taking in the person's appearance.

It was a girl, a little older than her, maybe by about a year or so. She was roughly the same height as Ruby though. She had white, choppy hair that was done into a bob cut. Underneath her bangs, there was something on her forehead, but Yang couldn't quite make out what it was. Her skin was tanned, and lining the exposed parts of her body were a number of white lines tattooed into her skin. They almost looked like circuits.

The girl was wearing something that looked a little risqué, even for Yang's standards. She was wearing a single white and black one piece bodysuit of some kind, it looked more like a swimsuit. The suit covered her chest, upon which there was a little flap of fabric that hung down from the middle with green, red and blue vertical stripes, and went down to cover everything above her upper thighs. The bodysuit left two gaps in the fabric, each one situated on either side of her navel.

There were frills puffing out from around the material above her legs, and a number of odd scarves descending down from under the frills, going down to her knees. The scarves were all white, with red and black accents and details in the form of lines resembling circuitry. A larger scarf was tied into a bow behind her waist.

She had detached sleeves on her arms, which both had similar designs drawn upon them like on the scarves. There was something almost… religious to how they looked.

What was most curious was that she had a veil on her head. It was almost like a wedding veil, covering a majority of her hair from behind and descending down her back, reaching well below her knees. The veil looked almost… royal in how its designs appeared, with black triangles pointing upwards, lining the bottom of the veil, while the top part around her head featured diamond shaped markings that were arranged into a circle, joined together by a ring. It almost looked like it was meant to be a crown.

Lastly, she was wearing strange looking heeled shoes, colored red with sharp looking pointed ends. They added an inch or so to her height.

"You are still staring." The girl deadpanned, blinking once as she stares back at Yang.

"How can she not, what the hell are you even wearing?" One of the girls with Yang exclaims, sniggering a little. "Going to a beach party or something?"

The tanned girl's eyes briefly glance at her before they focus on Yang again. "Again, I wish to apologize for bumping into you."

"Yeah, its fine, it happens all the time!" Yang laughs a little, before the red eyed girl slowly begins to walk away, causing one of Yang's 'friends' to growl a little.

"Hey, I was talking to you!"

"You are irrelevant." The veiled girl states bluntly, not even pausing in her stride. "I am not interested in you. You are all subpar. Inconsequential."

Her blunt delivery stuns the other girls, and Yang for a moment, before she laughs, grinning as she briefly waves at her friends and starts to walk after the strange girl. "Wow, you don't hold back your punches, do you?"

"My punches? I have not punched anyone yet."

"No, I mean-its just a phrase."

The strange girl tilts her head, staring at Yang for a bit as they walk, before she nods. "I see. I will keep that phrase in mind."

"Heh, you don't get out much, do you, friend? Name's Yang by the way! Yang Xiao Long."

The girl glances at the blonde following her for a few seconds, her expression never shifting, her eyes blinking. "Altera Polendin-what did you call me?"

"Erm, you don't get out much..?"

"No, after that. You called me 'friend'." Her stare becomes more intense as gazes at a now fidgeting Yang. "Am I really your friend?"

Yang was at an impasse. That was a loaded question to ask.

Still, she looked fun. So, Yang shrugs and grins. "Yeah, sure, why not?"

Altera stares at Yang for a few more seconds, before she nods, her lips quirking upwards for a moment.

"Sensational."

* * *

As orientation begins, Salieri hums, standing beside Weiss as the students wait for the headmaster to make his arrival, and opening speech.

This was it. Finally, after so long… he would lay his eyes upon the man who sired him.

He would have a different face, a different name, and a different voice, but his soul would still be the same.

His gloved fingers flex a little, curling into claws before he clenches his fists tightly.

He can't even remember the last time he felt this nervous.

"Antonio? Are you alright?"

Salieri blinks before turning to look at Weiss, who was staring up at him with a perturbed expression. "Pardon?"

"You're… shaking. I don't think I have ever seen you trembling before, not even before one of your orchestras!"

The musician looks down at his hands, realizing that he was clenching them so hard that they began to tremble. Exhaling, he slowly tries to relax, his fingers loosening up.

"I am… nervous. I am not sure why."

That was a lie. He knew exactly why he was so nervous.

"I understand. To be able to attend Beacon after all this time, I feel a little nervous myself." Weiss nods, before crossing her arms with a smug smile. "But regardless, I am confident that you and I will excel in our classes. I have never seen you fight before, but if your skills in combat are even half as good as your skills as a musician, I am sure we will both become an unstoppable duo."

"Woe is me, it appears the Schnee Heiress has claimed me as her partner already, and the term hasn't even begun." Salieri chuckles, his red eyes full of mirth as he watches Weiss' face turn red for a moment.

"I-I'm not 'claiming' you!"

" _Si, Signorina,_ whatever you say."

* * *

"Yaaaaaaaaang!" Ruby wails as she finally finds her sister, bolting off from Jaune and Kintoki without even a second thought.

They were cool! Jaune was very nice, if a bit dorky, and Kintoki was also very nice, if a bit weird. Jaune's weapon was cool, a classic sword and shield combo, and the shield was also the sheath!

Kintoki's was a classic too, it was a HUGE gold colored axe with what looked like little generators or turbines around the head of the axe.

But as cool as they were, Ruby's irritation at how Yang ditched her far outmatched her desire to hang out with her new friends.

"Hey Rubes-oof!" Yang grunts when Ruby tackles her stomach with a hug. "Whoa, bad day?"

"How could you leave me all alone like that!? Do you have any idea what I had to deal with!?" Ruby pouts up at her sister, lightly beating on Yang's stomach a little.

"Aw c'mon sis, it can't have been that bad!"

"I literally exploded!" Ruby flails her arms, glaring at Yang.

"But you are not in pieces."

Ruby blinks when a new voice chimes in, before she looks behind Yang to see an older, tanned girl wearing weird, but still aesthetically pleasing clothes that looked like a swimsuit.

"E-erm, hi?"

"Salutations." The red eyed girl nods, prompting a chuckle from Yang.

"That's Altera. She's a new friend I just made! Altera, this is my little sister, Ruby!"

"H-hello." Ruby waves a little. "Nice to meet you?"

Altera simply nods again, before continuing to simply stand there and stare at Ruby.

The little red hooded teen sweats a little from the intense yet blank stare as she turns to look at her sister. "E-ermm…"

"She does that, its fine." Yang waves her off. "So, you… exploded?"

"I mean… kinda? I bumped into some crabby girl and knocked over her luggage, and then there were Dust vials all over the ground, and she got really angry and waved one in my face and yelled at me, and then I sneezed and then it blew up and then a really cool looking guy sort of distracted the crabby girl and calmed her down and then they both walked away and I just felt really bad-" Ruby begins to ramble, before her sister covers her mouth with a hand.

"Slow down there Rubes, jeez. Sounds like you had a rough time, sorry about that sis." Yang smiles apologetically as Ruby's shoulders slump, her brow furrowed.

"Its fine Yang… at least I got to make new friends."

"Oooh, so my little sister finally grew up and made some friends without my help!" The blonde brawler smiles widely and pulls her sister into a hug, eliciting a yelp from the smaller girl. "Where are they? Lemme meet these girls!"

"T-they're guys actually-"

"Wow, you're making guy friends already? You really ARE growing up!"

"Y-Yaaaaaang!" Ruby pouts before freeing herself from her sister's grasp. "It's not like that! I-oh crud, I think I left them behind when I saw you!"

"You just made your first friends at Beacon, and then you ditched them." Yang chuckles, shaking her head. "Smooth move Rubes. Can you see them from here?"

"I think so.." Ruby murmurs as she looks behind her. She doesn't see Jaune, but she does spy Kintoki just mingling about. "There's one of them! Hey, Kintoki! Over here!"

The muscular blonde turns at the sound of her voice and grins before he jogs over, stopping right in front of Ruby. "Yo, little red! You bolted off all of a sudden, so me and Jaune just split off too to wander around."

"I'm really sorry about that Kintoki.. but, here's my sister, the one who _ditched_ me!" Ruby points at Yang, who was visibly eyeing Kintoki's entire figure with a smirk.

"Damn Rubes, you sure know how to pick 'em…" Yang murmurs, her eyes roaming all over Kintoki's chiseled physique. "Hey there, name's Yang."

"Yo." The bespectacled teen snaps his fingers and points at Yang, posing a little as he sets his other hand on his hip, grinning toothily. "Name's Kintoki, nice to meet you, Golden Girl."

"Golden Girl? Really?" Yang laughs, her eyebrows raised. "Was that the best you got, big guy?"

"Hey now, Gold is an amazing color, and I don't think any other gal I've seen in my life rocks it like you do. Your hair's like… locks of sunshine. Absolutely Golden!" Kintoki chuckles, shrugging.

Yang, being someone who took a LOT of pride in her hair, was positively beaming at the completely honest compliment. "You're not so bad yourself!"

"Oh God, please tell me they're not flirting…" Ruby murmurs to herself. She knew that look in Yang's eyes.

"Is this what flirting looks like?" Altera hums from right beside Ruby, causing the younger girl to jump a little.

All conversations in the hall halted however, as someone stepped up onto the stage in at the end of the room.

Professor Ozpin.

And as he began to talk, a pair of blood red eyes narrowed.

* * *

Ozpin was tired. He was so, so tired.

Regardless of the amount of coffee he always drank, he was starting to grow more and more weary these days. He had hoped he would see a spark of inspiration, a spark of hope as he gazed upon the latest generation of new prospective students.

Yet just as he said, all he saw was wasted energy.

He could see that Ruby Rose was among the masses, which was good. If she was anything like her mother, she would grow to become an incredibly skilled Huntress with a pure heart. If more people were like her, perhaps Remnant would be in better shape.

Yet as he finished his speech and began to walk away, his eyes glanced at one teenager in particular.

A young man with grey hair, wearing an elegant suit and had scarlet eyes.

His expression was such a mix of emotions that Ozpin was taken aback for a moment. In his many long lifetimes, he had grown attuned to being able to tell how someone felt just by looking at their face.

And what he saw confused him.

Relief. Confusion. Anger. Fear.

It was such an odd expression, the teen's eyes were narrowed, his brow furrowed, and his lips pressed into a firm line.

He recognized the face after thinking for a moment. The boy was a prodigal musician from Atlas. Apparently he had been training himself to attend Beacon.

Antonio Salieri.

Antonio…

Ozpin felt nothing but sadness, every time he heard that name.

Turning away from the teenager whose very name reminded him of one of his many regrets, he walked off, heading towards the exit. He had to file some paperwork now.

He never noticed that he was being shadowed as he left.

* * *

It would be a couple of hours later when Weiss came to the conclusion that Antonio had somehow ditched her.

Well, perhaps not something that callous. But it didn't change the fact that right now, she had no idea where he was.

After Ozpin's speech, he just vanished, and she had tried to find him, calling out for his name a few times as she looked for his distinctive hairstyle.

Unfortunately, in her search, she ended up meeting the last person she was hoping for.

"S-so.. erm.. what do you like to do for hobbies?" Ruby asked, sitting across from Weiss on her sleeping bag.

Somehow, Weiss had ran into the dolt who almost blew her off the side of the school, and got roped into sitting with her.

Not that she wanted to, but Ruby's silver eyes were very good at imitating a kicked puppy, and Weiss, loathe as she was to admit it sometimes, adored puppies.

"I study. And train." Weiss huffed, wrapping her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees. Might as well get comfortable. Perhaps Antonio felt ill and decided to go to the nurse's office here, and didn't tell her so she didn't worry.

He did look rather tired all the time.

"T-that's cool, I like training too. And working on weapons, that's fun." Ruby smiles a little nervously, before her expression sours just a little when she hears some boisterous laughter a few feet behind her.

The laughter was coming from Kintoki and Yang, who were both sitting near each other, telling each other stories or something. The two of them had immediately hit it off. It was almost disconcerting.

"Ugh, one of my first friends and Yang already stole him…" Ruby murmurs, garnering a bemused look from Weiss.

"You are not very good at making friends, are you?"

"I-I'm totally good at making friends! I-I just… don't do it that often is all…" The silver eyed munchkin grumbles, looking away.

"There is no shame in admitting to be socially inept."

"BWAH! Where do you keep coming from!?" Ruby squeaks when she notices that Altera was sitting a few feet to her left, cross-legged, and still wearing the same outfit.

"I have always been here."

"W-why aren't you over there with Yang?"

"They are loud." Altera states bluntly. "Yang is curious, but if I stayed there I would be what people call... a third wheel, I believe. I would prefer to be beside you and heiress Schnee since you are both considerably quieter."

"Please don't call me that, I have enough of that back in Atlas…" Weiss groans a little. "Just call me Weiss."

"Very well, Weiss."

* * *

Ozpin hummed to himself as he took a slow sip from his mug of coffee. As always, it had the right balance of milk and sugar to help sweeten it. Currently, he was seated at his desk, looking over a number of student transcripts. Some stood out more than others.

Ruby Rose, for example. Quite a prodigy. While her skills in unarmed combat were abysmal, she was incredibly talented at using her Crescent Rose.

Then there were others that garnered some interest.

Sakata Kintoki. From Mistral, yet he didn't study at any of the schools. It appeared everything he knew was either self-taught or taught by his teacher, who was also his mother. Apparently, she didn't want Kintoki to study at Haven, despite it being closer, due to her rather… infamous dislike of Headmaster Lionheart.

"If he is anything like his mother, he will be a terrifying powerhouse when he fully matures. I just pray he didn't inherit any of her less than desirable quirks…" Ozpin murmurs.

Yorimitsu may have been a rather well known Huntress in Mistral for her power, beauty and ridiculously flashy Semblance, but her obsessive and sadistic personality quirks made her very hard to approach.

It was just as well that she was a part of the inner circle. He couldn't imagine not having someone like her on his side, even if her mere presence caused Qrow to act on his lecherous ways.

Turning to the next transcripts, he found himself staring at an enigma.

Altera Polendina.

Born in Atlas, she was supposed to attend Atlas Academy, but her father, Doctor Polendina, apparently decided that he wanted both his daughters to attend separate academies to promote growth. Despite Ironwood's protests, Altera was sent to attend Beacon, without supervision.

Considering what she was, Ozpin wasn't sure she even needed supervision, but he definitely understood James' reluctance in letting her attend Beacon.

Ozpin continued to sift through the transcripts, humming to himself, before he realized that he wasn't alone in the room.

Slowly, he looks up to find that right in front of the elevator doors, was Antonio Salieri, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Professor Ozpin."

"Mister Salieri. How did you get up here without triggering any alarms?" Ozpin quirked a brow, not even reaching for his cane.

"I have a few… magic tricks that assist me in that regard." Salieri chuckled for a moment as he studied Ozpin's face.

The wizened headmaster stares back calmly, his brow still cocked. "And what is it that was so important that you decided to sneak into my office to see me?"

The grey haired teen pauses before he slowly starts to walk towards Ozpin.

"Tell me, headmaster…"

His red eyes stare right into Ozpin's amber ones.

"What is your favorite fairy tale?"

The question made Ozpin's body freeze for a moment before he tilts his head. "The tale of The Four Maidens, if you need to ask. I sincerely doubt you came all the way up here just to ask me that however."

"I see… should have known." Salieri murmurs before he spreads his arms out. "Why don't I spin you a different version of that tale? One that does not end in quite the same manner."

Ozpin's heart almost stops.

Did this prodigal musician… know? About Salem? Did he know about the Maidens?

Silently, Ozpin nods as he interlaces his fingers under his chin.

Salieri hums, before he gestures out towards the window. "Once upon a time, there were Four Sisters, and One Brother."

Ozma's blood goes cold, his eyes widening.

"They lived peacefully, happily, in a large castle with their parents. They wanted nothing more than to be loved by their father and mother, and make them proud." Salieri continues to talk, slowly walking closer to the desk.

"Then one day, their parents had an argument. One that would change everything."

Ozpin stared, wide eyed at Salieri as he approached.

"The children didn't know what the fight was about, and even when one of the sisters interrupted the argument to show off her magic, the pride from her parents did not last long. That night, their father tried to sneak them out of the castle. He said nothing about why, only that they should walk softly and keep quiet."

Salieri stops in front of Ozpin's desk, the headmaster completely frozen, as the musician raises a hand clenches it, before slamming it down on the desk.

"And then the mother caught them, and a fight broke out! The parents fought, hurling magical spells at each other with abandon, not even realizing that some of those spells killed their own daughters! There was a great explosion, and all that was left was dust and ashes. The father was nothing but charred remains, and the mother was twisted with madness. And yet, the son survived, and the mother decided to heal him in her own twisted way. So she dropped him in a pool of shadows."

Salieri's eyes were shut now as he grips the edges of Ozpin's desk tightly, the wood creaking under his grip.

"The boy was transformed, his confusion and anger at what had happened twisting him into a monster. And by the time he was pulled out, he was older, and hundreds of years had passed. The world had changed, his mother had changed, and his father had died again and again, taking a new name and face each time…. And every time the boy asked his mother about the fight, she would NEVER GIVE A STRAIGHT ANSWER! So tell me, father... why did my sisters have to die that night..?"

Salieri's eyes slowly open to look at Ozpin's face…

And he saw that the man was crying.

Ozpin's eyes were wide, tears trailing down from them as he stares at Salieri, his mouth agape.

"A…Antonio…"

Salieri felt something crush his heart.

The absolute relief and grief in Ozpin's voice…

…it wasn't expected. But then again, he wasn't sure what he expected.

"M-my son… you.. you're.. alive.." Ozpin murmured, shakily standing up and walking around the desk. "Y-you… you look so different… your eyes…"

"…I could say the same to you, father…" Salieri sighed, staring at his shell-shocked father.

His eyes widened when Ozpin reached towards him and pulled him into a near bone-crushing hug.

"I'm sorry… I-I am so sorry Antonio… it is all my fault… it is all my fault…" Ozpin sobbed, hugging his son tightly as Salieri stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do.

Slowly, Salieri raises his arms and hugs his father back, trembling a little.

The two stood there for a while as Ozpin finally broke after dozens of lifetimes, before the headmaster finally pulls back, wiping at his eyes and releasing a shaky breath.

"I-I… I can't believe you are here.. it almost seems like a dream."

"I almost wasn't here. Mother did her best to try and stop me, though I suppose even those attempts were halfhearted at best." Salieri huffs, noticing how his father immediately tensed up.

"Salem knows you are here?"

"She does. But right now, she isn't important. I want answers father… I need to know why you and mother fought that night. I need to know what my sisters died for."

Ozpin fidgets, his eyes darting from Salieri's face to the floor, before he closes his eyes and nods. "Very well.. there is a lot to know, and it is a very long story. One that stretches back from long before you were born."

"I have waited this long. I will listen."

Nodding once more, Ozpin slowly walks around his desk and sits back down, Salieri taking a seat in a chair in front of the desk.

"Well then, Antonio…" Ozma the Wizard sighed, clasping his hands together before looking at his son with a grim expression. "It all started when I first died."

* * *

 _Phew, fuck, this chapter was hard to write._

 _If anyone spots anything weird with how I wrote things, well, I dunno what to tell you. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but eh. I'm shit at describing clothes, but eh, you guys know what these guys look like, you have the internet._

 _So, now you know who some of the other Servants in this story are! I sincerely hope I wrote their personalities write, and even if it's a little off, this is my interpretation of them anyway. I won't go back and edit any of these, that's not my style._

 _I would also like to mention, that you shouldn't take this story, or even my Epic of Remnant story, 'too' seriously. Sometimes I write them seriously, sometimes I make them a little memey, and even slightly crack-fic-ish. That's just how I am, and I haven't been able to grow out of that style of writing since my original pride and joy, Voidwalker._

 _My style of writing is… more like how TeamFourStar does Dragon Ball Z Abridged, or Hellsing Ultimate Abridged. There are serious moments, and there's some kooky shit. Of course, I don't plan on being as humorous as them of course, but there will be moments._

 _Now if you'll excuse me, its 2 AM, I am fucking exhausted._


	3. Ambivalentidea

_Welcome to chapter 3. Not much to say for this pre-chapter A.N, besides I hope you enjoy it. I've been a bit busy and my muse has been lazing about like a drunken monkey so this chapter may be a little messier as a result, but I wanted to get some writing done anyhow._

 _That being said, enjoy!_

* * *

 _Chapter 3: Ambivalentidea_

* * *

As she laid there on her sleeping mat, in the massive auditorium among the many other resting or restless future students, Weiss Schnee couldn't help but feel a little worried. It was quite close to midnight, and she still hasn't seen neither hide nor hair of Antonio.

When he went off earlier, she wasn't too concerned. For someone as reclusive and private as Antonio Salieri, being able to walk within such a massive castle of a school must be quite exciting. It'd make sense to want to wander around.

But it's less than an hour away from midnight, and he still hasn't returned.

"You are concerned."

And she's still stuck with her unusual company.

Weiss turns her head to look at her fellow snowy haired girl, Altera, who laid… on the floor. No blanket, no sleeping bag, she just laid flat on the cold ground with all the emotion and expression of a dead fish, her head turned slightly to stare at Weiss.

She was… strange. Very blunt. Blinked very, very rarely. And those eyes of hers were… unnatural, to say the least. White pupils were not natural, especially with how they were just faintly glowing. It was incredibly concerning.

What little Altera did divulge of her story is that she is from Atlas, like Weiss, though she was tight lipped about where in Atlas. Perhaps her eyes were cybernetic? Replacements for her original eyes due to blindness, or an injury? They looked real enough. It would explain the glow, and why she didn't blink nearly as often as normal people did.

"A-ah, well… my companion has wandered off and I haven't seen him since the end of Professor Ozpin's speech. I'm… a little worried, yes."

"Your companion is Antonio Salieri." Altera stated, staring blankly at Weiss.

"That's right. Do you listen to his music?"

The tanned girl shook her head slowly, never breaking eye contact. "Father does. Says it helps him think while working."

"What does your father do?" Weiss rolls over on her sleeping mat to lay on her stomach.

"Science."

"….can you be a little more specific?"

"No."

Well, that went nowhere. Much like previous attempts at conversation, Altera tended to end them quickly, and bluntly. She seemed to prefer listening, rather than talking.

"Mrmm… gotcha now Torchwick…. You'll never… get away with taking my cookies… mlem… sic 'em Zwei…"

Weiss' brow twitches as she turns to look at her other new, unlikely companion, who snored away on her sleeping mat, drooling a little into her pillow.

Ruby Rose.

From what the younger girl exposited about herself in an attempt to get to know Weiss better, the Schnee heiress learned that Ruby was raised in a Valean countryside town called Patch, went to Signal Academy, and apparently attempted to stop Roman Torchwick in his latest robbery, which honestly stunned her considering no mention was made of Ruby at all on the news. That was how she got into Beacon so early, Ozpin took notice of her achievement and offered her a place here.

A large part of Weiss was very irked about that. This one dunce of a girl _tried_ to help stop one criminal, regardless of his infamy, and she gets a free pass to try and join Beacon, whereas Weiss had to work her arse off giving her blood, sweat and tears as she tried to convince her father and his damned secretary-

Weiss closed her eyes and slowly exhaled through her nose. No, no thinking about that. She's here now. She's at Beacon. Far away from home. No need to think about them.

"You are distressed."

Altera was pointing out the obvious again.

"Shouldn't you be back with… Yang, was it? They've obviously quieted down." Weiss mutters, brow twitching as she glances at another girl a few feet away.

Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's sister. Half-sister at least.

The blonde was messing around on her Scroll, having winded down from her loud and raucous behavior when she was talking with that… that Faunus.

Another blonde, he was obviously a Faunus from his incredibly sharp teeth. He was almost all canines. He looked like a brute and he seemed to inject the word 'Golden' or some variation of it into each and every sentence he spouted. She could hear him all the way from her spot with Ruby and Altera when the pair of blonde brutes were busy being all chummy.

Right now, said Faunus was fast asleep on his sleeping mat, his (admittedly impressive) torso bare to the world, wearing only a pair of silken golden pajama pants that looked a size too tight.

With a body like that, he would have fit right in with those White Fang degenerates as their brawn with no brain.

"I have already entered a comfortable position to rest in, to move now would jeopardize my comfort." Altera stated blankly, staring at Weiss.

"You are laying on the cold, tiled floor without a blanket and you are barely clothed." Weiss deadpanned. She didn't care if Altera came from the same Kingdom as her, there was no way she could wear such… thin and borderline scandalous looking clothes and not feel a chill.

"A very comfortable cold, tiled floor." Altera replied in monotone. "And I have been asked to keep you company regardless of my newfound friendship with Yang."

"Keep me company..?" Weiss started, her eyes widening a little.

Another fellow Atlesian… was told to keep her company?

"D-did my father send you?" The heiress whispered, her fists clenching, only for the tension to leave her body as Altera shook her head in negative.

"No. Specialist Schnee did."

"Specialist Schnee..? Wait, WINTER told you to keep me company?"

NOW Weiss was… confused. Though she was beginning to pick up some pieces.

Altera's father worked on 'science', she lived in Atlas, and now she seems to know her sister. Not just her sister, but her official military rank as well.

Meaning Altera's father must work for the military as well.

The red eyed girl nodded slowly. "She visits my father and uncle with General Ironwood occasionally. When it was revealed I would be attending Beacon, she expressed concern over your wellbeing and requested I endeavor to keep you company. I have never been given such a task so I am unsure of what that entails beyond me remaining in close proximity with you."

Weiss sighed softly as she processed all this, unable to help a small smile forming on her lips. Winter was watching out for her, even when they were miles apart. At least that's ONE family member she could count on.

"….well, I would say you are doing a… relatively good job at it. Keeping me company I mean." Weiss says as she rests her chin on her folded arms, laying on her stomach. Her eyes catch the faintest twitch of Altera's lips, possibly a ghost of a smile.

"I am glad to hear that. I will of course continue to remain friends with Yang, so I will be required to have you both in close proximity in order to maximize efficiency. Specialist Schnee has also instructed me to ensure I vet any potential suitors from approaching you according to her specific list of merits and standards they are required to meet. I was unsure if this was a serious request but I wish to inform you of the bar she has set just in case."

Of course Winter would do that.

Weiss sighs as she listens to Altera listing off a number of… ' _Requirements'_ that Winter has set for potential suitors…. and felt a small amount of embarrassment when she realized that so far, Antonio was meeting all of these standards Winter had set.

Speaking of whom, she hoped that Antonio was doing well, wherever he was in Beacon's grounds right now.

* * *

Antonio Salieri was not doing well. He felt sick to his stomach, his brow furrowed as he steepled his hands in front of his lips, elbows resting on Ozp- _his father's_ desk.

He was trying to process the sudden dump of information the reincarnated wizard had just given him.

The Deity Brothers.

His mother being rescued by his father from her incarceration in her castle.

His father's fall to sickness.

His mother's rebellion against the Gods.

The first extinction event of mankind.

The curse of immortality bestowed upon his mother.

The four relics.

The task the God of Light had given his father, only for him to be swayed by his mother to instead rule over mankind.

The second death of his father, the night Antonio lost his sisters.

"Are you alright?" Ozpin asked with unrestrained concern in his voice. Antonio simply closed his eyes and slowly exhaled.

"No, father, I am not. I am… trying to understand all of this… and yet once more, I find I have more questions."

"Ask them, I will do my best to answer them. It is the least I can do." The headmaster admitted sadly, hands folded on his desk.

"Then start by telling me… what exactly is your plan? For this… conflict with mother I mean."

There was a tense silence.

Antonio's eyes widened as he looked at his quiet, and regretful looking sire.

"You… you do not have one… do you?"

Ozpin said nothing for a few seconds before he sighed. "No. No I do not. I have asked Jinn, the spirit sealed within the Relic of Knowledge on whether or not there was a way to destroy Salem… and she said there wasn't. I am afraid that, right now, my only plan is to raise generations of Huntsmen and Huntresses strong enough that we can at least mitigate the tide of the Grimm and hopefully, push them back enough so that one day, Salem can be imprisoned."

Antonio stared at his father intensely as he gritted his teeth. "And how confident are you that such a thing is even possible? Father, she has not been sitting idly by! She has been planning things, and I do not even know what those schemes entail! Every time I looked into her eyes, I saw a burning rage that will not be contained. She has armies of Grimm, monstrosities that she continues to tinker and experiment with to create bigger, stronger beasts! If you think the hordes that lay beyond the walls of Vale are numerous, they are paltry compared to the swarm of beasts she has at her beck and call surrounding her castle! If you try to imprison her, she will make sure that she kills as many people as possible before such a thing can happen."

"And what do you suppose I should do then?" Ozpin raises his voice, eyes narrowed as he stands up and gestures out his tower's window. "Negotiate with her? Plead to the Gods? There is no way for anyone on Remnant to kill her now that she is… THIS. If I cannot kill her, I will at least make sure the damage she deals is decreased exponentially. I will die and come back as many times as it takes to make sure that even if the Gods never return, even if Salem wanders the earth as a vengeful, furious wraith of evil for all eternity, mankind WILL survive!"

The wizard took a deep breath before calming himself down as he holds his hand out towards his son. "And you can help with that, Antonio. You have been in her stronghold for years before your sudden debut as a musician in Atlas. You know exactly where she is hiding. When James, General Ironwood that is, told me of a prodigious young musician who seemed to appear out of nowhere and had the first name 'Antonio', I thought it was nothing. Just another child named after my dead son. But you are here, and you must know SOMETHING about Salem's plans! Join me and you can help me ensure that humanity will have hope!"

Antonio stared at his desperate sounding father for a few seconds, before he sighs and closes his eyes.

"I still love mother."

Ozpin froze, his eyes widening.

"Despite her flaws and the insanity she has become absorbed in, I know she loves me as well. Despite everything, I know that, deep down, a part of her is still human, and that part of her is what reminds me that she isn't completely beyond saving." Antonio Salieri mutters, before shaking his head. "I… I need time to decide. I am not sure I can partake in a cold war between my parents… a war that has no foreseeable end in sight. I came here for answers.. and for a chance at a normal childhood."

"Your mother is an immortal witch who manipulates the Grimm, your father is an ever reincarnating wizard, and you are attending a school that hunts monsters." Ozpin noted a little dryly, his brow raised. "If you were looking for normalcy, you probably should have stayed in Atlas."

"Well, normal for ME." The red eyed youth shrugs. "I desire to see exactly what a school run by you is like, and perhaps gain myself some allies who see beyond my status. And it isn't as if combat appalls me. I wish to become a Huntsman and hunt Grimm… and perhaps return to becoming a musician when I eventually retire, or simply find myself bored. I will fight for humanity, because the music people make, the arts and crafts that humanity created… they are all beautiful."

"Then-"

"But at the same time, I cannot say I care too much for the rest of humanity, because of what that pool of darkness has done to me." Antonio declares, his sclera bleeding into black, causing Ozpin to take a step back in shock as red veins begin to inch their way up the sides of his face. "I am.. not the son you knew, father. There is a darkness inside me, a thirst for destruction. A part of me that despises humankind for what it is. Greedy, selfish and hypocritical humans that brew conflict and hatred to fuel their own desires at the cost of the happiness and lives of others. A part of me agrees that humans are better off going extinct. Lock them up in cages like they did to the Faunus I saw back when I was a child. Do you see the problem here, father?"

Antonio wills his features to return to normal, a sight which made Ozpin visibly relax, though tension was still present in his stature.

"I am stuck between two worlds, and my soul is torn in two directions. Fight for my mother, or my father. Fight to protect humanity, or destroy it. Love, or hatred. I cannot make such a choice in good conscience… so for now, I will simply learn. Initiation has only just begun and I have much to learn from your academy."

"I see…" Ozpin murmurs, before sighing heavily as he almost collapses into his chair. "I… understand. I do not completely agree, but… I do understand. I just hope that when the time comes, you make the right choice…. No, I just hope you make the choice that you believe is the right one."

"As do I…" Antonio mutters, before staring at his father in the eyes. "However, the least I can do is offer some information on what little I do know of mother's plans."

"That would be greatly appreciated, Antonio."

As Ozpin leaned forward in his seat, chin resting on his steepled fingers, Antonio tried to recall what he knew.

"She has a number of henchmen… for starters there is a large man by the name of Hazel."

"Hazel Rainart. I know him." Ozpin sighs, regret lining his features. "You need not speak of him. I am well aware of his position in this war and what he is capable of."

There was a story there, but Antonio didn't inquire as he continued. "There is a… Faunus, I believe. A psychopath by the name of Tyrian. He is intensely loyal to mother… he calls her a Goddess. I am not sure what sort of Faunus he is, but a number of times I have heard mention of him having a tail of some sort."

"Noted."

"A man named Arthur Watts. He was the one I had create my Atlesian identification."

"Arthur Watts… I think I remember a pariah of a scientist by that name… I will need to ask James to look into that…" Ozpin rubbed his chin slowly.

"There was… a woman. A protégé of sorts. I never saw hide nor hair of her." Antonio's eyes narrowed as he tried to remember his mother's apprentice. "Mother ensured that we were never in the same room. I do not even know her name… just that she is incredibly important to her plans."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed. Salem taking on an apprentice… that did not bode well.

And with each individual description of Salem's inner circle, Ozpin found himself cursing his luck more and more as the list went on.

* * *

Blake wasn't in the best of moods right now.

She had to relocate her futon and reading light (so it was a candle, sue her, she liked reading by a warm orange light) several times to avoid the constant gibbering of other students that seemed to somehow get louder as the night went on.

She just had to move away, yet again, when a pair of blondes started to crack jokes and puns related to 'Gold'. It was honestly annoying, and it didn't help that the Schnee heiress was also near them.

Finally, she sighed as she set her futon down in an empty spot, right by one of the auditorium's massive windows.

"Oya, it's you."

Blake almost dropped her candle onto the ground and set her futon on fire when she realized she was about to sit down right next to one of the last people she was hoping to see.

The creep from this afternoon with the heavy kimono and coat.

He hadn't even changed clothes, still wearing his full ensemble, weapons included. He was sitting cross-legged with his back against the wall, his cloak covering most of his body. Probably didn't even need a blanket with how thick the fabric looked.

He didn't look as… 'Unstable' as he did previously though. He looked more annoyed. Restless even.

"Oi, are you gonna stand there and stare or sit down?"

"R-right." She flinches briefly before sitting down, setting the candle beside her as she opens her book back up and tries to continue reading.

Tries to.

She couldn't shake off her more primal instincts, the urge to regard this person as a threat. It wasn't as noticeable now, but it still put her on edge.

The boy paid no attention to her. Instead he simply stared out at the sea of teenagers, his eyes half-lidded. He looked exhausted. Why wasn't he sleeping?

"Oi. If ya keep staring I might have to cut your eyes out." His pale orange-yellow eyes flicker towards her briefly. "Fuckin' speak already or something."

Blake's fight or flight instincts flared again for a moment before she swallows. She's better than this. She's handled Adam. Adam fucking Taurus for Oum's sake. Why is she so nervous around this human?

"Why haven't you changed your clothes?"

Maybe not the best question to break the tension, but she asked it anyway. It made her feel less nervous, and it certainly seemed to catch him off guard as his eyebrows raised up for a moment before he scoffs.

"Don't have any others. All I've got is literally right here with me."

Blake nods, her lips pursed. That wasn't too unusual, there have always been students that had nowhere to go, so they took all their worldly possessions and skills to live at the Huntsmen academies, ensuring they would get employment once they graduate. Those people usually had to work much harder than the others so that they have something to show for it.

"Why did you threaten me before?" Blake asks, her eyes narrowing slightly as she glances at him from the corner of her eyes. This was what she really wanted to know. He 'had' simply just… told her he couldn't wait to see her bleed. "Huntsmen don't threaten to want to see each other bleed, or threaten to cut another's eyes out."

At least, the sane ones didn't.

The youth simply smirks, one brow cocked upwards as he lets out a small, unnerving chuckle.

"To see if I could scare ya shitless of course. Gotta weed out the weak ones in this place and leave the strong ones around, right? Grimm feed off bad vibes so if a bunch of cowards fill the ranks of future Huntsmen and Huntresses, humanity would be pretty fucked, right?"

"I… see." The feline Faunus nods slowly, deciding not to press further.

"Plus it was fun to see you look like you were about to piss yourself."

This absolute prick.

He was definitely not stable. Was he actually psychotic? Perhaps he had schizophrenia?

Regardless, she's had to deal with Adam's madness for a long time. She wasn't ready to deal with a new brand of insanity right now.

Unfortunately, this conversation soured her mood for reading, so she simply shut the book, causing the pages to clap together a little loudly, startling him enough that he almost moved to unsheathe his blade.

"Look… we probably got off on the wrong foot somehow, clearly. I won't ask what your problem is… because clearly you have many, but we are going to be classmates for the next few years. We might as well exchange names for now. Then we can go back to ignoring each other. I won't take those threats lying down however, and if you turn out to be dangerous, I will do my best to ensure you can't hurt anyone."

The messy haired youth glanced at her, brow raised, before his sickly autumn colored eyes narrow as he flashes a toothy smirk. "So the kitty cat's actually a deadly panther, eh?"

Blake's heart stopped, her eyes widening as her grip on her closed book tightened. "W-what are you talking about?"

"If you think a cutesy ribbon is enough to fool some people, you're really dumb." He snorts, shaking his head.

Blake's hands shake for a moment.

She thought the ribbon was a damn good disguise. Seems she was wrong.

"You will not tell anyone about this or I will slit your throat in your sleep." Blake hissed, panic in her voice.

"There it is…" The roguish youth's smirk widens, almost splitting his face as his eyes widen. "That's what I wanted to see. I'll keep quiet, I don't give a fuck if you're Faunus, human, or a Grimm. If ya give me a challenge, then I'll be plenty satisfied."

He raises a hand and rests it on the pommel of one of his blades. "How about it? A little spar before bed?"

Blake stares at the youth in confusion, her mind racing.

Was he serious?

Was he insane?

He was probably both.

Still, she sighs and shakes her head.

"Teachers will stop us, especially since orientation is tomorrow."

"Pssh, who gives a crap."

"I do, and most everyone here." The raven haired Faunus grunts, before narrowing her eyes. "I have to beat you to get you to stay silent on my true nature?"

"I don't care if ya beat me or not, just gimme a good fight and I'll be fine."

"…fine then. You'll have your fight, but not tonight. After orientation. This place probably has training halls so we can use one of those when we get the chance."

As the youth's smirk somehow gets even wider, taking on an almost demonic quality, Blake wonders if she traded the insanity that is Adam for a brand new one.

"The name's Izou. Okada Izou. I'll be the one who makes you bleed in the coming fight." The heavily robed youth almost growls out, holding out a hand for a handshake.

Blake stared at Izou's hand with a small amount of suspicion and disgust, before she narrowed her eyes at him and took his hand, gripping it firmly.

"Blake Belladonna. And not if I make you bleed first, lunatic."

"Oh you are just a treat."

* * *

As next day soon arrived, students found themselves preparing for initiation in the locker rooms.

And Salieri found himself trying to placate Weiss.

"You were gone ALL night! You cannot just brush it off and say you were lost somehow! I was beyond worried about you!" The Schnee heiress jabs her finger against Salieri's chest as he chuckles sheepishly.

"Calm down, _signorina_ , as you can see, there was nothing to be worried about. Besides, you made friends, didn't you?" The musician gestures towards the trio of girls behind Weiss, currently grabbing gear from their lockers.

The blonde one with violet eyes grins over her shoulder as she equips a pair of bright yellow wrist bands, which transformed into a pair of gauntlets as she flicked her arms a little, before she transformed them back. "She sure did! Though she mainly became friends with my little sis, I'm just an acquaintance! Name's Yang!"

"I'm Ruby!" The silver eyed girl smiled as she pulled out a red, clunky weapon of some sort that was folded up from her locker. "And this is my baby, my Crescent Rose!"

"….Altera." The tan skinned and red eyed girl stated bluntly as she reached into her locker and pulled out a… folded red sword handle of some sort, with four metal prongs extending from the hilt, before strapping it to her waist.

"I am Antonio Salieri, it is a pleasure to make your collective acquaintance _._ " He bows formally with a flourish, before standing back up, his brow raised as he sees Weiss watching the girls expectantly with a proud look on her face.

"….W-Weiss, what's with that look?" Ruby asks, a little put off. "You look really… smug about something."

"Yeah, what gives?" Yang raises a brow as she shuts her locker door. "Glad you get to be showing off your boyfriend?"

Instantly, the Schnee heiress' expression flips around as she glares at them, her pale face turning redder than Ruby's hood. "He is not my boyfriend! And what do you mean 'What gives'? What is with that reaction!? Do any of you have any idea who Antonio is!?"

"E-ermm…" Ruby murmurs, fidgeting nervously now at the sudden question.

"I know-" Altera raises her hand before Weiss points at her.

"I know you do Altera, you're from Atlas, you would have to be living under a rock to not know him. But for goodness sake, the two of you must have HEARD of Antonio at least!"

"I mean, his name sounds kinda familiar…" Yang mutters, cupping her chin. "Is he… I dunno, royalty or something?"

Salieri couldn't help but snort, immediately covering his mouth with a gloved hand at that, ignoring the affronted look Weiss was giving him. If only she knew.

"Antonio!"

"L-leave it Weiss, I honestly do not care about fame and reputation as much as you do." He chuckles, shaking his head.

"Okay, so not royalty. Is he a model from some fashion magazine? He looks the part." Yang tries again, smiling awkwardly as Weiss fumes and mutters something about uncultured blondes.

Suddenly, Ruby perks up and rummages through her pockets, pulling out her Scroll as she fiddles with it. "Hang on, that name DOES ring a bell… I think it's… aha!"

She presses a button and cranks up the volume, before suddenly their section of the locker room was filled with the sound of chanting… accompanied by an electric guitar.

 _"Dies irae! Dies illa! Solvet saeclum! En favilla, teste davidcum sybilla-"_

Weiss levelled a flat look at a suddenly embarrassed looking Salieri.

"Is that a rock version of-"

"I-it was an experiment, I-I never conducted the song live, just uploaded it onto the net." Salieri coughs, his cheeks colored a little pink. "It was my first time trying to play something properly with an electric guitar."

"You're the one who made Dies Irae?" Yang raises a brow as she walks over, smirking a little as she notices that Ruby was beaming a big, wide smile, sparkles in her silver eyes.

"Wow… I listen to this every time I practice with Crescent Rose! I mean, I listen to Red Like Roses too and This Will Be The Day, but I listen to this a lot as well!" Ruby almost bounces in place. "I had no idea you're Avenger492!"

"That is good to know… though, I didn't really make the original song that version is based off on my own… I and a friend of mine made it…" Salieri smiles, his embarrassment gone in favor of amusement at Ruby's expression.

The sight of his own face in her almost mirror-like silver eyes made him remember the end of his conversation with his father last night.

* * *

 _"I suppose I will need to update James on people he needs to be on the lookout for…" Ozpin murmured as Salieri stood up._

 _"Indeed. Goodnight for now father.. I will see you tomorrow."_

 _"Before you go, I have a small question." The headmaster raised a hand before his son could turn around. "Did you happen to run into a girl with a red hooded cape and silver eyes?"_

 _"Silver eyes… yes, I did actually. I happened upon her being yelled at by Signorina Weiss Schnee due to an accident that involved a fire Dust enhanced sneeze." The young musician chuckles with a wry grin, his father forming a near identical one on his lips._

 _"Just as clumsy as her mother… anyhow, what I wish to know is if you… felt anything when you saw her eyes."_

 _"Felt anything? Such as…?" Salieri stared at his father in confusion, watching his sire's face form a thoughtful and curious look, before the older man shakes his head._

 _"Hmm, nevermind, perhaps it is because you bear more of my blood that you do Salem's. There is an old tale of Silver Eyed warriors bearing powers that let them obliterate the Grimm using their eyes. Considering Salem dropped you into the Pool of Annihilation-"_

 _"-you wanted to know if my more Grimm-like side felt any sort of instinctual fear at the sight of her eyes." Salieri hummed, his brow furrowing. "I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, but I am in my human form so perhaps I would feel differently if I was in my Grimm form… or perhaps her powers simply haven't awakened."_

 _"Grimm form? No, never mind, I suppose I will find out what that is later… loath as I am to know that. Perhaps you are right. In any case, on the off chance you 'do' feel some sort of reaction to her eyes, make sure you tell me so I can… endeavor to at least see if I can find a way to help mitigate the effects." Ozpin shrugs, smiling calmly. "For now though, goodnight."_

* * *

Looking at Ruby, Salieri couldn't believe that such innocent and cheerful looking eyes were supposed to be fabled weapons of mass destruction against all Grimmkind. It was like a children's tale in which the divine hero who was meant to slay the eternal darkness took the form of a puppy.

"And what you have isn't even the original version. The original is a grand and powerful orchestra conducted by Salieri himself. He is the greatest classical musician in all of Atlas, perhaps even the world! A prodigy among the youths of the kingdom!" Weiss smirks proudly, her arms crossed.

Yang whistles with raised eyebrows as she grins. "Not bad, a bigshot in Atlas! Does that mean we get free tickets?"

"Yang, you don't like classical music thoug-hmpngh!" Ruby points out before spluttering as Yang's palm covers her face, muffling her words.

"I don't but after hearing you blast that darn song over and over again outside our house while training, I'm kinda curious to see what the original sounds like, especially live-EW, Ruby! Did you just drool on my hand!?"

"Unfortunately, I am temporarily retired from my life as a musician due to my decision to enroll here as a future Huntsmen, so you may have to wait a long time before the next concert. However, perhaps a private show may be possible in the near future, I 'did' bring some of my instruments here after all." Salieri offers a smile at the two, garnering a strangled 'Yes!' from Ruby, who was currently put in a headlock by her sister, who gave him an easy wink.

"Sounds cool to me. We just gotta make it through initiation." The blonde bombshell smirks, before letting go of Ruby. "You all ready?"

"Yep!" Ruby grins as she kips up, deactivating her Scroll and tucking it away, before holding tightly onto Crescent Rose.

"I am always ready, Xiao Long." Weiss huffs, Myrtenaster sheathed at her hip.

"I am combat ready." Altera nods, briefly startling Weiss since she had moved her position in the room to stand behind the Schnee heiress.

"One moment." Salieri hums as he opens up his locker… and walks into it, before shutting the door behind him.

The four girls stare at his locker in confusion, before Weiss broke the silence. "Um… Antonio?"

"This may take a while, I have to get into my battle armor."

"You have battle armor!?" Ruby squeals, her eyes widening as she smiles brightly. "That's so cool!"

"I do, my body is unfortunately not as durable as it should be due to an… odd condition with my Aura, and my abilities require for me to stand still at times to use them, hence why I need armor to keep me alive when I am immobile. You all go ahead, I need to suit up." Salieri chuckles from inside the locker.

"Erm, isn't it a tight fit in there? How are you changing clothes without much space?" Yang asks as she raps a knuckle on the metal door.

"It is special armor. Now go, _vai Avanti._ "

The four girls stare at his locker some more before shrugging and moving along.

* * *

Barely a few minutes later and Weiss was already scoping out potential teammates besides Antonio.

Don't get her wrong, Ruby and Yang were…. Nice. Bearable, if childish.

But she knew that if she was going to excel here, like a Schnee should, then she would need to have a team of complete elites.

Altera would be one of them. There was a part of her that just told her that Altera, despite her odd behavior, was powerful. The fact that her weapon was only a bladeless hilt and a handle too short to hide any sort of telescopic blade attachment meant that it must be either an incredibly awkward firearm, or some sort of beam weapon.

Like a Dust Energy Sword.

As cool as the concept of Dust Energy Swords are, they are unfortunately highly expensive to make, almost just as pricey to maintain, and went out of fashion a long time ago due to how much Dust it took to power one for even a few minutes. Now, the only people who used such weapons were Atlas' military, and they usually had those weapons attached to mechs.

If Altera, a teenager of all people, had one, then it must be an experimental model of some kind. And experimental weapons usually tend to be highly unstable. If it was unstable however, Altera would not have been allowed to bring it with her, nor would she even have considered such an idea due to how… well, logical she seemed.

And fighting with an energy weapon wasn't easy, since you had to ensure that you didn't accidentally shatter your own Aura from accidentally hitting yourself with the blade, or worse, accidentally searing off your own arm.

With those things in mind, Weiss deduced that Altera's supposed Dust Energy Sword was some sort of stable experimental prototype, and Altera was using it as her weapon here as a sort of field test so that data could be sent back to Atlas, and thus allow for adjustments or possibly even mass production.

It was with that assessment that Weiss decided that Altera would be a suitable team member.

Another prospective member was standing right in front of Weiss. A tall, gorgeous girl with an Amazonian build, clad in bronze colored armor, sporting bright emerald eyes and scarlet hair.

Pyrrha Nikos herself. A true celebrity, but not for the same reasons that Weiss and Antonio were.

Whereas Weiss was known for her family and its reputation, and Antonio was known for his musical fame, Pyrrha was a celebrity because she was the running Champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament, for four years in a row. She wasn't just a skilled prodigy, she was an elite among elites, a true example of a future Huntress and a heroine in the making.

And she acted in a manner befitting her title. She was polite and demure, humble and sweet, and had an amazing smile that most certainly would have caused butterflies in Weiss' stomach if she swung that way.

The idea was certainly appetizing though.

"So I believe the three of us would all benefit greatly if you were to work along with us in Beacon. The four of us would make a wonderful team, excelling far beyond the ranks of our peers!" Weiss smiled up at Pyrrha, her arms crossed.

"Well, I'm not THAT strong… though I am sure we would be able to work well together. I will admit, I am curious to see how a prodigal musician and the Schnee heiress fights." Pyrrha chuckles almost uncertainly. She was so humble and bashful! How inspiring!

"Weiss, you realize there is still a chance I will decide to go and find Yang and team up with her instead." Altera quipped from behind Weiss, staring blankly.

"Yes, but I also took into account that she will likely seek to team up with that blonde muscle head from last night and her sister, and I am sure you do not wish to be in a team of noisy blondes or awkward weapon nuts."

"Your logic is sound." Altera concedes, her eyes shutting as she nods slowly.

"Hey now, there's more to blondes than being noisy!"

Weiss's expression turns sour as she looks towards an approaching boy with blonde hair, deep blue eyes and relatively simple armor. Wasn't he the one wearing that godawful onesie last night..?

"And… you are?"

"Name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue, ladies love it." Jaune grins and winks at the trio, flashing a finger gun.

"Do we?" Altera looks towards Weiss with confusion.

"Trust me, we do not." Weiss immediately douses whatever charm Jaune was trying to use with her cold retort, eliciting a grimace from him as he scratches awkwardly at his cheek.

"Yeahhhh, figured that wasn't gonna work…"

"I-I didn't mind it!" Pyrrha tries to mediate, chuckling at the awkward introduction. "My name is Pyrrha Nikos, it is nice to meet you Jaune."

"Nice to meet you too Pyrrha!" He grins and holds out a hand to her, his smile faltering at the look of surprise she gave him. "Erm, you okay?"

"You… erm, don't know me?" Pyrrha tilts her head, her tone odd, almost curious.

"Erm… should I...? Oh crap, are you a celebrity and I just totally offended you?"

"You dolt, she's-" Weiss starts, causing Jaune to turn to look at her, which in turn left him missing the sight of Pyrrha shaking her head rapidly as she looked at Weiss.

What.. what is wrong with her? Does she… dislike her fame or something?

Perhaps she just wants to evaluate him herself without him knowing of her reputation, yes, that might be it.

"She's…?" Jaune tilts his head in confusion.

"She… she's on the back of Pumpkin Pete's cereal box!" The Schnee heiress exclaims, smiling awkwardly. It wasn't a lie at least, but it should be sufficient enough.

"Oh my God, really!? I love that cereal! I totally didn't recognize you!" Jaune exclaims, grinning widely at Pyrrha. "Wow, they usually reserve that for athletes and stuff, you must be pretty tough! You definitely look like an athlete."

"I-I.. well, I'm not THAT strong." Pyrrha chuckles, briefly glancing at Weiss with a small nod and a smile before focusing on Jaune again.

"Well, don't worry, I've got a shield and apparently a LOT of Aura. I'll protect you, if you decide to join team Jaune here." He winks, flashing a thumbs up.

"That… sounds lovely." The Amazonian girl smiles down at Jaune, completely relieved, her posture far more relaxed as her emerald eyes stare at Jaune's sapphire ones.

"…Altera, what am I looking at?" Weiss murmurs to her quiet companion.

"I have read about this. I believe we are seeing a romantic flag. If he passes through a few more, he will complete her route." The red eyed girl hums in monotone, observing the two lovebirds in the making. "So this is what they call a Romance Dawn…"

"I believe that term is meant in the context of sailing and mystery, but it does sound apt." Salieri hummed from behind the two.

"Ah, Antonio-WAH!" Weiss yelps as soon as she turned around to face her companion, leaping back a good foot or so, her eyes wide. "W-w-what are you wearing!?"

"My armor."

"That is NOT armor!"

"And a dress is so much better protection?"

"Fair, but… it looks…" Weiss grumbles, her eyes focused on Antiono's features.

Or, lack thereof under his 'armor'.

It looked more like some sort of… gothic carnival costume.

It was entirely black and red in color scheme, taking the form of a gaudy, extravagant coat similar to that of an old fashioned orchestra conductor's. Wing shaped scarves hung down from the back of his right shoulder, and both his arms were encased in form fitting clawed gloves colored bright red, which went up to just below his shoulders, ending in crown shaped armor of some kind connected to his outfit's shoulders. His legs were clad in tights and he had low heeled armored boots that went up to his knees.

The most striking part of his strange ensemble was his… helmet? Mask?

Either way, his head was encased in a helmet of sorts that had a silver mask covering the eye area, a pair of twisted antler shaped protrusions on either side of his head, a hat similar to that of a conductor's connected to the top of the helmet, and red fabric that covered his neck and went down to his chest, like a cravat.

 _(Look, it's almost impossible for me to even begin to describe Antonio Salieri's 1_ _st_ _stage appearance, had to rewrite this at least ten times to try and make it work. Just look him up on the wiki and you'll see him.)_

He had a longsword shaped like a cross sheathed at his hip, and from the way the sword looked, it probably mechashifted into a much longer blade when in use.

"…it looks ridiculous." Altera finishes Weiss' sentence, prompting Salieri to chuckle.

"I will admit, I look a little gaudy, but I feel much more comfortable in this when I have to fight. I am still working on a way to make this armor more…. Portable, however. In time, I will be able to switch into this within seconds."

"Mechashift armor?" Weiss hums, cupping her chin. "I suppose something like that would certainly be useful… if only you didn't look like you walked out of a teenager's dark fantasy comic book or video game…. Oh Gods, I recognize that mask and parts of your outfit now, the aesthetic looks like one of sir Mozart's costumes in the musical you both did a year ago.."

"Despite his taste in clothing, I must admit that sometimes he has good taste." Antonio chuckled, shrugging. "Still, a video game? Do I really look that tacky?"

"What's this about a video games-HOLY CRAP, you look like something from a True Goddess Renaissance game!" Jaune exclaimed upon turning to look at Weiss and her companion, his eyes wide and almost sparkling as he's beholden to Antonio's armor.

As the musician chuckled and allowed Jaune to marvel at his appearance, Weiss sighed, rubbing her temples, feeling a migraine coming on.

* * *

Nora Valkyrie was in a great mood!

She was in Beacon, she had an amazing breakfast consisting of nothing but pancakes, and she has her best friend with her!

They were going to absolutely blitz through this academy with style, together!

But not 'together' together.

"Nora, if you don't watch where you're going, you'll bump into someone." Lie Ren sighed, watching his childhood friend walk backwards as she grinned at him, her arms folded behind her head.

"Aw c'mon Ren, you're talking to the world champion of walking backwards! I'll be fine-oof!" The ginger haired girl gets cut off as she bumps her back into someone. "Oh no, my reputation!"

"Whoops, didn't see ya there."

Nora craned her head up to see a tall boy with blonde hair in a bob cut and purple sunglasses staring down at her before she turned around to face him fully, grinning as she held her hand out.

"Hiya! Name's Nora, Nora Valkyrie! And this is my best friend Ren!"

The pink eyed boy just sighs and nods. "Lie Ren. Hello."

The blonde with absolutely _rocking_ muscles just grinned toothily and pointed a thumb at himself. "Name's Kintoki. It's golden to meet you both! Excited for orientation?"

"Heck yeah! We're gonna blaze through it! We've even worked out perfect code names for each other and signals! I can make a perfect imitation of a sloth!"

"Weird flex, but okay?"

Blake hummed quietly as she pulled Gambol Shroud from her locker.

Well, the time had come. Time to really put herself to the test and truly distance herself from the White Fang.

She wasn't going to fail this initiation. She couldn't.

"Nice weapon."

The idea was tempting though.

Her feline ears twitch under her bow as she turns to face her… she wasn't going to call him a friend for sure…

An unfortunate acquaintance, yes. She turned to look at her unfortunate acquaintance, her expression deadpan as she straps her weapon to her back.

Izou was smirking at her from his spot, leaning up against a wall. His weapons were there under his cloak, even if she couldn't see them aside from the slight bulge in the fabric formed by the pommels of his katanas.

"Shouldn't you be readying up for the test?"

"I'm always ready, kitty cat."

" _Don't_ say that in public!" Blake hisses out a whisper, her eyes darting around. "I'll actually gut you."

"Please, nobody's around this section, and nobody cares right now. They're all either flexing for girls or grabbing their shit." Izou rolls his eyes, still smirking as he moves away from the wall and starts to walk off. "Still, don't forget our deal. After initiation, we fight."

"I haven't forgotten." She growls as she slams the locker shut and walks after him. "Sooner we get this over with, sooner I don't have to speak to you ever again."

"You realize if you're real good I'm gonna end up challenging ya again for as long as we study here, right?"

"I am suddenly dreading studying here."

* * *

Ozpin smiled as he looked upon the many students that would take on the challenge of Beacon's initiation test.

They'd all entered through scholarships, paying large sums of money or taking academic and practical tests to qualify for being here.

Now they had one final hurdle before they could call themselves students.

"I am sure many of you have had questions, or heard rumors of teams being set today." Glynda says beside him, about to explain how the whole team selection method worked.

Seeing young Miss Rose's world apparently shatter upon hearing that your partner was decided upon eye contact was a little amusing. It was almost the exact same reaction her mother had.

Brothers rest her soul.

His eyes glanced over to the red and black clothed figure that was his son.

Honestly, he was startled when he saw that getup.

Antonio's ensemble made him look tall, imposing, yet also rather… campy. Not to mention the black and red color scheme reminded him too much of the Grimm. The silvers and pinks in the outfit thankfully negated most of his unease with the costume, but still, it was rather perturbing to look at.

None of the students seemed to share his opinion, as they were either glancing at his son's costume with some form of awe, or derisory amusement.

Still, despite the color scheme and how gaudy it looked, Ozpin felt that there was something more to this outfit. It looked like a ridiculous costume… but he knew it was something more. With his experiences and abilities, he could tell immediately that what Salieri was wearing was heavily saturated in his Aura. Almost as if it was made from it.

Was this his so called 'Grimm form'? It didn't 'feel' like a Grimm.

As Glynda droned on about the rules, Ozpin continued to focus on Antonio's costume, subtly of course.

Focusing his senses deeper, he came to a startling realization.

The costume wasn't made of Aura.

It was Magic.

He could sense magic from the costume. His son was using Magic to maintain it.

He had to steel his expression to prevent himself from showing his utter shock. Antonio could never use magic before as a child, unlike his sisters. He and Salem always thought it was just because he was born sickly.

What changed? Did Salem give him magic somehow? Or did the Dark Brother's Pool of Annihilation grant Antonio the power to use magic?

Despite his unease in wondering how this could be possible, another part of him felt something.

Pride.

He felt pride in his son being able to use magic.

Perhaps the same sort of pride he felt when he and Salem learned his daughters could as well, despite the circumstances.

As Glynda finished explaining how the rules of finding your partner worked, and how they had to find relics in the Emerald Forest, Ozpin cleared his throat.

He could ponder on his son's achievement another time. Right now, he had to be a headmaster.

"In addition to the relics, we have discovered that a small number of incredibly old Grimm may be dormant deep within the Emerald Forest. I would advise against attempting to draw one out, and would instead advise that you all stick to the partners you gain and head for the center of the ruins. I do not believe I need to remind you all that the chance of death is certainly possible in this test." He calmly explains, watching some students turn pale.

Most of the notable candidates looked rather excited. Wonderful.

"We will be dropping you off in the Emerald Forest shortly. Are there any other questions?"

"U-um, yeah, can I-" One mister Jaune Arc raised his hand.

"Good, then let's begin, shall we?" He immediately cut off Mister Arc, smiling mischievously.

One by one, students were flung into the air, while he continued to, as the children say these days, mess with Mister Arc.

"W-were we given parachutes or something before this?"

"No, you will be using your own landing strategy." The grey haired headmaster stated as he briefly sipped from his mug of coffee.

"A-and what is a landing strategy-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

And there he went, the blonde haired youth sent flailing through the air like a ragdoll. Ozpin chuckled quietly to himself, ignoring the flat look Glynda gave him, while noticing his son's slow shake of the head.

"Is an old man such as myself not permitted to have a little fun, Mister Salieri?" Ozpin asked, cocking his brow.

"I suppose you are, Headmaster, though your choice of humor is baffling to me." Antonio sighed, before readying himself as the student next to him was sent flying off into the air, his fingers splayed out, palms facing his front.

"In time, you will probably develop a similar sense of humor." Ozpin shook his head slowly, before smiling. "Good luck."

" _Grazie_ , but I do not believe in fortune. I will make my own."

With that, the Launchpad activated, and Antonio Salieri was sent flying into the air, towards the forest, his wing-like scarves fluttering through the wind.

"…you didn't indicate any interest in Mister Salieri before. He wasn't in the auditorium either for most of the night. Did something happen?" Glynda asks, pushing her spectacles up a little as she watched Ozpin stare after the musician.

"You could say that. I am confident he will succeed this test and become a fantastic Huntsman." The aged yet youthful looking headmaster nodded, sipping from his coffee.

"That is a lot of faith to put in a musician." The blonde professor hummed curiously, directing her gaze towards the forest as the students all plunged into the woods one by one, no doubt stirring up the Grimm with their presence.

"Is it not a father's job is to have faith in his son, Glynda?"

"I suppose so." She nodded, watching as Salieri vanished through the canopy of the forest.

A few seconds later her head snapped towards Ozpin fast enough that her glasses almost flew off her face, her eyes wide. "I BEG YOUR PARDON!?"

Ah, this was going to be fun to explain.

Her expression was worth it however. He hasn't seen her cool and stoic facade shatter so thoroughly in years.

Such were the thoughts Ozpin had as he sipped from his coffee, chuckling at his coworker's utterly flabbergasted expression.

* * *

 _Not much to say about this chapter, writing so many characters is tough. I'll continue to push through of course._

 _I managed to sneak in a little bit of Nora and Ren there. Yippee! Boops for everyone!_

 _I finally found a bloody color I can use as the acronym for the team name. It isn't perfect, but it'll do. You'll just have to see in the next update what it is._

 _And no, Ozpin isn't going to hide that Antonio is his son, at least, not to his inner circle. So yeah, Qrow and Ironwood will find out, eventually._

 _I know I'm portraying Izou a bit more psychopathic than he probably normally is, but with the background I've got for him, it's a little justified. I'm planning on a unique love-hate relationship between him and Blake._

 _No, they're not getting paired together…. Maybe. If my muse decides it happens, it happens, but obviously that kinda shit wouldn't happen for a long while._

 _And if anyone's curious about the specific cover of Dies Irae Ruby played on her scroll, it's a rock version by Carlo Ragno. It's pretty cool._

 _And as for Antonio's, ahem, "Dust-tube" account name, Avenger is his class, 4 is the amount of copies of him I have, and 92 is the level of the Salieri I have._

 _And yes, Jaune did just reference Shin Megami Tensei. Persona specifically since I'm referring to the fact that Salieri's 1st form looks like Arsene from P5._

 _On to FGO stuff, Gray is a cinnamon bun and deserves to be protected. A shame I only managed to get her to NP4, but it's better than nothing. Now my NP5 welfare Shiki has a friend!_

 _And I managed to somehow accidentally summon Reines Archisorte/Sima Yi by burning a summoning ticket. I'm honestly shocked (and was lowkey disappointed cuz I was gunning for Luvia/Astraea). She's a great unit though, a perfect counter for Berserkers or any other Servant types that clash with who you have in your party, and a perfect partner for any Berserkers in your party. Turn those glass cannons into steel ones. With her honestly ridiculous NP gain, just slam that Noble Phantasm and boom, the damage you take from any enemy that's got an advantage over you becomes normalized. Berserkers finally become a viable strategy with Reines on the case. Ivan's still my favorite Rider but DAMN, she's coming in at a close second along with Ryouma._

 _Also, Salieri is getting rated up around the end of May, so I'm gonna be rolling for him and hopefully get my hands on my final copy so my won Salieri can become NP5 after being stuck in NP4 since 2018's mid-year guaranteed gacha, and perhaps one of the other rated up Avengers, like Hessian Lobo (I NEED MY GOOD DOGGO) or Gorgon (I NEED MY BIG SNEK). Fingers crossed, though I've learned never to hope for the best with these gacha games. You always get what you don't expect. And it isn't even a guaranteed gacha, just a rated up, so there's a chance I get NOBODY. Which would suck._

 _Anyway, see you all in the next update!_


End file.
